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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29582079">Twist of Fate</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/purplejellosg1/pseuds/purplejellosg1'>purplejellosg1</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fate: The Winx Saga (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Drama, F/M, Family Feels, Farah Centric, Friendship, Gen, Not Beta Read, Partial Mind Control, Post-Season/Series 01, Romance, Speculation, season/series 02 speculation</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 00:07:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>20,302</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29582079</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/purplejellosg1/pseuds/purplejellosg1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Speculation on how season two could go, resolving *that* cliffhanger and more. More tags may be added as I go.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bloom &amp; Farah Dowling, Bloom/Sky (Winx Club), Farah Dowling &amp; Ben Harvey &amp; Saul Silva, Farah Dowling &amp; Terra Harvey, Farah Dowling/Saul Silva, Sam Harvey/Musa, Stella's Mother Luna/original female character</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>96</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>239</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is in no way finished but I'm posting as a way of encouraging myself to write more. I've got the story arc in my head, just have to get it down on paper/screen. Please be patient if there's a bit of a delay between parts; I'm juggling a few things at the moment and writing is my happy escape-to place.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i>"You are a lot of things, Rosalind, but I never thought you'd be a coward."</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>The voice caused her to stir, the images behind her eyes changing as she shifted from deep sleep into a dream-like state. </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>"And you said I was weak," the voice continued scathingly.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>The air around her shifted, and Rosalind went from being in a deep, dreamless slumber to standing in front of a bench in the garden, surrounded by graves.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Six official, and one no one else knew about.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>"Farah," Rosalind realised, turning in a slow circle as she dreamt, searching out the fairy whose life she'd taken.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Stepping out of the shadows, looking just as she had the last time Rosalind had seen her alive, the ghost of Farah Dowling gave her a cold smile. "What happened to fighting fair, Rosalind? To looking your opponent in the eye so they knew you were the stronger fighter?"</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>"You really think I'm going to waste time justifying myself to a ghost?" Rosalind scoffed. </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Farah's smile grew, her dark eyes as icy as her smile. "If you don't want to talk, you can always wake yourself up. Unless this isn't just a dream, of course."</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Rosalind rolled her eyes and refused to listen to the teeny tiny part of her mind that told her that the reason for her dream was her subconscious's guilt. Farah had, at one time, been her student, her protégé. Perhaps, on some small level, her friend. "You're a phantom, Farah. A memory, and nothing more. When I choose to wake up, you'll be gone."</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>"Will I?" Farah smirked; a dark blond eyebrow arched as she moved to stand over the recently disturbed earth where Rosalind had buried her body. She tilted her head, the image reminding Rosalind of the way Farah's head had slumped to the side after she'd broken her neck. "Are you absolutely certain, Rosalind? Or is that mere wishful thinking?"</i>
</p>
<p>The image faded before she could respond. Rosalind woke up with a gasp, blinking in the darkness of the room that she'd reclaimed. She used her magic to turn on the lights, blue eyes narrowed as they scanned every corner for a sign that she wasn't alone.</p>
<p>Finding none, she inhaled sharply, exhaling on a shaky laugh, rolling her eyes at her own foolishness.</p>
<p>Farah was dead, she reminded herself, throwing off the blankets. And she was very much alive, and ready to make her mark on Alfea once more.</p>
<p>#</p>
<p>"Headmistress Dowling is taking a sabbatical," Rosalind announced to the students gathered in the hall. She stood in front of them, the facility lined up behind her in a show of loyalty she'd demanded from them in their staff meeting preceding the assembly. They didn't like her, she knew, but she cared little for trivial matters such as that. They'd fall in line or they'd find themselves gone like the Headmistress who'd seemingly abandoned them in the dead of night. "Andreas of Eraklyon will also be joining the faculty, taking over from Headmaster Silva in the training of our Specialists."</p>
<p>She paused, allowing the whispers to fill the hall. She knew there'd be speculation, knew there'd be rumours after Saul was arrested for the attempted murder of his friend. She glanced to the Specialists, to Sky, and hid a smirk at the stony expression on the young man's face. She didn't envy Andreas his job of winning back his son's favour but was satisfied that Sky's faith in his former surrogate father had been well and truly shattered.</p>
<p>With a not-so-subtle flick of her wrist, a wave of cool magic spread out over the students, causing them all to shiver and fall silent. Rosalind smiled and continued. "They aren't the only changes that will be taking place here at Alfea. The style and method of your training will be changing. You will be separated into two tiers; those with the potential to fight, and those who cannot. Those fairies who pass the tests will be taught how to access your power and harness it to its full potential. The Specialists will be supported by Andreas."</p>
<p>She could tell there were questions; the room vibrated with it. But no one was brave enough to put their hand up to ask her, so she wasn't going to bother.</p>
<p>"The tests will begin tomorrow. There will be no exceptions, no exemptions. You will all be assigned a time and place and be informed of such today. You will arrive promptly and be ready to begin. Those who do not attend will face immediate expulsion. There will be no second chances." Her tone grew hard, cold. The students shifted uncomfortably in their seats, staring at her with wide, shocked eyes. "You would be well minded to forget the way things were done before. Headmistress Dowling tolerated a lot more than I will. Remember that. I don't want your excuses; I want you at your best. Anything less will be not be tolerated." She waited a moment, then smiled. "I suggest you prepare, and rest. Dismissed."</p>
<p>She left before they did, knowing full well that her former protégé would have lingered, to answer questions and to reassure.</p>
<p>They needed to learn that that way of life was over; Alfea was hers now.</p>
<p>The gentle regime of Headmistress Dowling had died with her.</p>
<p>#</p>
<p>The cell he'd been thrown into was cold, dark and damp. It didn't help that he'd been stripped of his uniform and dressed in what amounted to rags, an already torn tunic and pants with holes at the knees. Saul thanked heavens for the small mercy that the garments, though clearly used before, had at least been cleaned between uses.</p>
<p>His jaw hurt from the punch that had been landed across it, courtesy of Andreas who Saul thought had done it for show. Sky had been watching, as had several of the other Specialist students at the school and, because Andreas had had his back to them, they hadn't seen the grin on his face or the gleam in his eye.</p>
<p>'What are you playing at, Andreas?' he found himself wondering, sitting on the rusting cot with its thread-bare blanket that served as both his mattress and his cover. He didn't know what he was most upset about; that Andreas had deceived him by pretending to be dead, or that there truly were no remnants of his old friend left. </p>
<p>He worried for Sky, for what it would do to the boy he loved like his own.</p>
<p>He worried for Ben, who had always feared the blond Specialist he'd been paired up with.</p>
<p>He worried for Farah, as he knew she would be the target of Rosalind's ire. </p>
<p>He closed his eyes but sat upwards instead of leaning backwards. He was shivering enough without allowing the dampness of the wall to seep through his thin tunic so held himself upright, tension in his spine and shoulders.</p>
<p>'Farah?' There was no answer in response to his gentle mental prod, not even the slightest sense of warmth or comfort. It left a cold ache in his chest, as his worries over her safety doubled. Their friendship had always been underlined by her magic, by the connection it wove between them, and again between them and Ben. That it felt like that connection was broken was a worse feeling than being thrown into the cell in the first place. 'Ben?'</p>
<p>Not being a mind fairy, he knew logically that Ben would struggle to maintain the connection. Farah had been at its heart, after all, but still Saul tried, and still he waited.</p>
<p>Hoping for a response that wouldn't come.</p>
<p>#</p>
<p>"Something's going on," Bloom said as she paced the Winx suite, wringing her hands in front of her. "Ms Dowling wouldn't just leave us. Not now. She wouldn't let Rosalind take over."</p>
<p>"My dad's asking really weird," Terra agreed, biting down on her bottom lip as she struggled to contain her growing anxiety – for Musa's sake as much as her own. "He won't say anything about Headmaster Silva, or Headmistress Dowling. He just gets this look on his face like when he's trying to solve a puzzle he can't work out."</p>
<p>Musa clutched her headphones in her lap, working on controlling her powers so she didn't need to rely on them. It wasn't easy; everyone in the suite was on edge. Bloom and Aisha were worrying about Ms Dowling, Stella worried about her mother's involvement in the situation. She was worried about them all, their worries and fears joining with her own, worried about Sam who was worried about his father, worried about Sky who was in turmoil over his surrogate father and his biological father...</p>
<p>It was too much. All too much, all at once.</p>
<p>"...We have to do something," Aisha was saying as she tuned back into the conversation. "We have to find Ms Dowling."</p>
<p>"Maybe she doesn't want to be found," Stella pointed out. "Maybe she's gone off to get reinforcements, or she's gone with Silva to Solaria to break him out."</p>
<p>"Rosalind knows," Bloom said darkly, flames flickering to life at the ends of her fingers, then extinguishing again as she clenched her hands into fists. "She knows what's going on; we just have to find out what she knows."</p>
<p>"How do you suggest we do that?" Stella folded her arms over her chest. "She's hardly going to answer truthfully if you march up and demand answers."</p>
<p>"We'll figure something out," Aisha spoke confidently, assuredly. "First things first, we need to concentrate on getting through these tests of hers tomorrow. The last thing any of us need is to be expelled, or worse."</p>
<p>"That's true," Terra agreed nervously. "I wonder why kind of tests they're going to be."</p>
<p>"Hard ones," Stella said with a sigh, remembering the tutorage she'd had under her mother, knowing instinctively that Rosalind's would be just as bad if not worse. "We should practice. And then sleep. And then practice some more until we have to go to our test."</p>
<p>The girls agreed, all of them reluctant. </p>
<p>Musa put her headphones on and went to lie on her bed, unable to practice in the same way as her roommates. She closed her eyes and inhaled slowly, deeply. Meditating in the way Headmistress Dowling had taught her.</p>
<p>Just as she was drifting off, she heard a familiar voice at the back of her mind.</p>
<p>
  <i>'Musa. If you can hear this, I need you to come to me. Bring Professor Harvey. And hurry.'</i>
</p>
<p>#</p>
<p>Ben was struggling to concentrate when the doors to the greenhouse burst open. The girls from the Winx suite, led by his daughter, stopped at the bench, all breathless with wide eyes.</p>
<p>"Musa heard Ms Dowling!"</p>
<p>"She needs help, Dad!"</p>
<p>"We've got to go to her!"</p>
<p>"She said we had to hurry." The young empath looked pale, swaying as her eyes shone. She was supported by Aisha and Stella, with Terra shooting worried looks in her direction. "Please, Professor Harvey."</p>
<p>Ben blinked, struggling to keep up with the stream of words. "Ms Dowling. You heard Farah?" He focused in on Musa. "Did she say where she was?"</p>
<p>"No, but I think..." Musa's brow furrowed, and her face was clammy. "I think I can find her. I think the closer we get, the stronger I'll hear her."</p>
<p>He'd heard stranger things, and Ben was willing to cling to any scrap of hope that led to answers as to where Farah had gone. "Where do we start?" He asked Musa, grabbing his jacket from where he'd slung it over the back of the chair.</p>
<p>Musa concentrated, her eyes flashing purple. "Outside," she said quietly, clinging to Aisha and Stella as they kept her upright. She whimpered, her eyes brimming with tears. "We have to hurry," she gasped. "She's getting weaker, I think," she continued, the admission doing nothing to reassure them. "Please, we have to help her." </p>
<p>"We will," Ben vowed, squaring his shoulders. He was the only one left of the close-knit trio, the only one able to do something. First, he'd find Farah, then together they'd figure out how to help Saul. It would all be okay, he told himself. It had to be. "Lead the way, Musa. We're right behind you."</p>
<p>#</p>
<p>Rosalind couldn't sleep. </p>
<p>She tried meditating, tried clearing her mind the way she'd once taught her students. </p>
<p>She had a long day ahead of her and she was counting on being prepared to put her new soldiers through every test imaginable. To do that, she needed her rest – rest one Farah Dowling seemed determined to keep from her.</p>
<p>"It's not Farah," she told herself aloud, taking comfort in the sound of her own voice. "Farah is dead. This is your conscience talking."</p>
<p>But saying it aloud made her roll her eyes, one corner of her mouth lifting in humourless mirth.</p>
<p>Though she might regret having to dispose of Farah so permanently, she harboured no guilt over her actions. Emotional attachments were something she had long ago taught herself not to feel and, even if she hadn't, Farah had destroyed any affection or admiration she'd had for her former student by turning on her and keeping her imprisoned for so, so long. </p>
<p>The bitch.</p>
<p>Anger replaced regret, and only added to her growing frustration.</p>
<p>So many years had been wasted, so many plans had gone to ruin. All because Farah and her merry band of men had taken it upon themselves to meddle in Rosalind's plans. All because they'd thought themselves morally superior.</p>
<p>She was having the last laugh, though, Rosalind assured herself.</p>
<p>She was in control again.</p>
<p>Farah was gone. Her precious Silva behind bars, awaiting a trial that would lead to him joining his beloved fairy in the afterlife.</p>
<p>Ben… He would fall into line, Rosalind was sure. She'd made plans to test his children's power thoroughly, especially the girl, and had no doubt they'd both pass with flying colours. That would be enough to buy their safety for now, and Ben would do whatever she told him if it meant keeping his beloved children safe. </p>
<p>She would take over tutoring Bloom, Beatrix and any of the other students who showed potential. She would teach them and lead them, and once again make her mark on Alfea, Solaria and the surrounding realms.</p>
<p>She would succeed.</p>
<p><i>'Pride comes before a fall, Rosalind. Isn't that what you always taught us?' </i>The scathing voice wasn't hers, not even that little inner voice she did her best to quash. <i>'Are you so sure the student hasn't become the master? So confident that no one could match you in skill or power?'</i></p>
<p>"You're the one who's dead, Farah," Rosalind seethed, her hands clenching into fists. "I'd say that makes me stronger. You're dead," she repeated, squeezing her eyes shut. "You are dead."</p>
<p>#</p>
<p>Musa led them through the grounds of the school, passed the spot by the lake where Bloom had defeated the Burned Ones. She hesitated at the Specialists training grounds, feeling some sort of residual connection to their former Headmistress there but ruled it out even as her suitemates stopped to look around. </p>
<p>Stella provided the light for their search, Bloom the warmth. Terra and Professor Harvey cleared the way of roots and branches that might trip them as they ventured through the trees towards the barrier. </p>
<p>"Musa." Steady, calm Aisha held onto her arm, keeping her both upright and providing her with a much-needed anchor. "Can you still hear her?"</p>
<p>They all stopped, almost holding their breath as one. She felt their anticipation, their hope and their fear, and almost whimpered at the weight of it all.</p>
<p>"She's…" Musa concentrated and lifted her hand. The magic of the barrier felt like static on her palm and, beyond that, she could feel something else. "She's on the other side of the barrier," she finished softly.</p>
<p>"Right." Professor Harvey heaved a sigh. "Well, we're not all going through it. Ah, ah, ah," he continued as Terra opened her mouth to protest. "Think it through, Terra. We don't know what we're facing out there, or how soon there might be a patrol of Rosalind's people. Musa can guide me, and Bloom can come with us in case we encounter any Burned Ones. You girls should stay here but make sure you're not seen."</p>
<p>"I can hide us," Stella volunteered, eager to put her magic to use – magic Headmistress Dowling had taught her to use safely. </p>
<p>"He's right, Ter," Aisha agreed, though her reluctance was obvious. "We can keep watch and warn them if the coast isn't clear."</p>
<p>"But it's… She's…" Terra's gaze darted from her father to her friends. "Dad."</p>
<p>"I know, Sweetheart." Professor Harvey tugged his daughter into his arms for a quick hug, pressing his lips against her forehead. "I'll bring her home, I promise."</p>
<p>Terra nodded; her eyes were bright as she pulled away. Musa frowned at the feelings coming from her friend, feelings of grief and pain that accompanied the worry everyone else felt. She pushed those thoughts aside for now, focusing on the thin thread leading her to the missing woman.</p>
<p>Trusting Professor Harvey and Bloom would follow, and that Aisha, Stella and Terra would watch their backs, Musa stepped through the magical barrier that protected the school.</p>
<p>#</p>
<p>
  <i>There was soil in her lungs, against her lips, against her eyelids. She couldn't move without dislodging more of it, feeling it against her skin as silent tears of frustration tracked down her cheeks.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>She couldn't see, couldn't hear.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Couldn't breathe.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>She tried to call for her magic and it failed her, panic preventing her from accessing the never-ending well inside of her she relied so much on.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>She was going to die.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>No, she mused, for all intents and purposes, she was already dead.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>She was dead and buried and no one knew.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>No one could or would help her.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>'Please.' She tried to scream in her mind, but it came out as a whisper. 'Please, if you can hear me, help me.'</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>No answer came, but then she wasn't expecting one.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>As her body grew weak, so did her magic. Even the flowers that bloomed above the surface no longer responded to her, greedily hoarding the water in their roots instead of sharing with her despite her pleas. The air she'd once commanded so easily came fleetingly through pockets in the earth around her, not enough to sustain her for much longer.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Her time had run out.</i>
</p>
<p>#</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>#</p><p>She stumbled into the old cemetery, beads of sweat gathering at her brow. She almost fell, but Ben caught the girl just in time, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.</p><p>Maybe this was a bad idea, he thought. What was he thinking, bringing students outside the barrier on a whim? What would Rosalind say if she found out - what would she do?</p><p>And, really, even if it was Farah Musa could sense, why couldn’t he feel her? Why couldn’t he sense her, too?</p><p>Not that he believed for one minute that Farah had left the school of her own accord. He was half convinced she was being held somewhere in one of the many hidden rooms along the concealed tunnels underneath the castle.</p><p>Or worse.</p><p>He didn't like to think of the 'or worse.'</p><p>He wished Rosalind hadn’t taken both of his oldest friends away from him; if Farah was still there, she’d know what to do about Saul. Saul, too, with his tactician's mind would have a plan of action. He knew that was Rosalind's intention, though: divide and conquer. She didn't see him as a threat, not when he had his children to think about, but Saul would have been thought of as a thread, and Farah… Well, Farah was the strongest of them all. Possibly stronger than Rosalind, even, as she'd grown and honed her powers in the years that had passed since the day they'd taken action against their former leader.</p><p>He hoped what Musa was sensing really was Farah, just as he hoped his dear friend had somehow managed to escape unscathed from whatever confrontation she'd had with Rosalind. He'd spent every waking moment trying to sense Farah, growing frustrated when he hadn't been able to. He knew he didn't have the same kind of bond with her as Saul did but he had grown used to sensing her at the back of his mind when he needed her. He'd had so many sleepless nights wondering how he could get Saul back to the school so he could help with the search for the former Headmistress but, he despaired, how did you prove someone's innocence when they weren't actually innocent?</p><p>There was no use in arguing that Saul hadn't attempted to kill Andreas – for nearly sixteen years, they'd believed he had. So many nights he and Farah had sat up until the early hours, supporting Saul as the latter tried to drink away the memories he couldn't forgive himself for. Saul had described, in detail, exactly how it had played out so how, then, had Andreas survived? </p><p>Thinking back, Ben knew that Rosalind must have taken care of the body; she'd insisted, he remembered vaguely, and as they'd all been too shocked over the devastation at Aster Dell, no one had protested. He remembered walking through the remains of the settlement with Saul and Farah, stunned silence stretching between them as Rosalind had done whatever it was she'd done and had directed the other Specialists and the soldiers who'd turned up with Luna's army after the deed had been done.</p><p>"She's close," Musa spoke up, her hushed tone breaking into his thoughts. "I don't… It doesn't make sense. She should be right here."</p><p>They were in the old cemetery, he realised. A shiver that had nothing to do with the temperature skittered down his spine. To his other side, the fire fairy held a ball of flame in her hand, the glow it emitted causing shadows to dance over the six – no, seven – graves dug not more than four days ago.</p><p>Had it really only been four days, Ben wondered, and then he stopped – seven?</p><p>He counted them again, his breath catching in his throat. He thought he might have crumpled to his knees even if it hadn't been for the weight of the teenager he was supporting dragging him down as she dropped to the damp ground.</p><p>"What is it?" Bloom asked, her quiet voice sounding all too loud in the stillness of the night. "Musa? What are you doing?"</p><p>The girl was digging ferociously, oblivious to the sharp roots and stones that caught her palms and made them bleed. Tears ran down her face, dripping from her chin onto the soil she clawed at desperately. "She's here," Musa sobbed, her eyes glowing purple. "She's here and she's dying."</p><p>It was all they needed to hear. Bloom fell to her knees and began to dig, too, panic fuelling her frenetic movements. </p><p>"Move aside," he instructed. Summoning his power, Ben focused on shifting soil by the load. He sent his power out and down, stretching the tendrils of it to follow the roots of the plants, seeing what they saw, feeling what they felt…</p><p>"Farah," he gasped and finished moving the soil as quickly as he could, freeing his friend from her premature grave.</p><p>Three sets of hands reached out for her, tugging her up and out of the ground. For one heart-stopping moment, Farah was deathly still. Her cheeks were colourless under the dirt that clung to what Ben suspected were tear tracks. Her hair was in a state of disarray, loose and tangled in knots. Her lips were tinged with blue and her eyelids were still.</p><p>"Breathe, Farah," he ordered, shaking her by the shoulder. "Damnit, <i>breathe</i>."</p><p>As if hearing him, she did, sucking in a gasping breath. Sitting upright, her brown eyes were alight with her magic. She choked on the air so readily available to her, reaching out to grasp Ben's shoulder as she slumped forward, eyes slipping shut.</p><p>"Ms Dowling?" Bloom asked tentatively. She reached out to touch the older woman's arm, her own eyes wide with shock. "What happened?"</p><p>"Bloom." With visible effort, her shoulders trembling, Farah forced herself to sit upright. She smiled at the young fire fairy before shifting her attention to the empath beside her. "Musa. Thank you." Her smile was soft, her eyes suspiciously bright. "I was screaming so loudly; I didn't know if you would hear."</p><p>Musa smiled through her own tears, reaching out with a dirt-stained hand to take that of the Headmistresses. "I heard you. You're safe now."</p><p>Farah gave her students a tired smile. Ben shifted to support her when he noticed her trembling increase, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. </p><p>"We should move you somewhere warmer," he murmured, already searching his mind for places within Alfea they could take her. "The greenhouse –"</p><p>"No." Farah shook her head. Her tongue darted out to moisten her dry lips, her eyes taking a moment longer to focus on Ben. "I can't go through the barrier, Ben. She'll know."</p><p>"Rosalind?" Bloom asked quietly. "Is she the one who did this to you?"</p><p>Farah shuddered and closed her eyes. Musa's eyes flashed and the young mind fairy gasped, her grip tightening on Farah's hand.</p><p>"Musa?"</p><p>"She killed her. Tried to kill her." Musa's brow furrowed, the memory that wasn't hers haunting her. "She broke your neck and then buried you?"</p><p>Farah's eyes opened, a hand lifting to rub the back of her neck gently as if to check. "I had to let her believe it. It had to feel real or she would have known."</p><p>"But you were buried," Bloom persisted, exchanging a worried look with her suitemate. "You were buried alive."</p><p>Farah shuddered again, and Ben tightened his hold on her. "That's enough now," he admonished the teenagers gently. "Let's not focus on what was and focus on what is. Where do you want us to take you, Farah?"</p><p>Giving him a grateful smile, the former Headmistress tried to sit up unsupported. "I have an idea," she said quietly, "but we're going to need a little help."</p><p>#</p><p>The hinges of the door to the long row of cells needed oiling, Saul thought, wincing at the almost pained whine of the metal as it was opened. He sat up straighter on the cot, wondering who the visitor was for. He wasn't alone in the long corridor, had heard several mutterings and anguished moans coming from the other prisoners in his block but hadn't tried entering into conversation with them. </p><p>The footsteps were quiet but not soundless; he listened to them as they scuffled their way along the corridor, lifting his head when he realised they'd come to a stop outside of his cell.</p><p>Two of the people he hadn't expected or hoped to see standing on the other side of the bars, identical smirks of smug satisfaction on their faces.</p><p>"Hello Saul," Rosalind greeted him with the cat-like smile he saw sometimes in his nightmares. "It's been a long time."</p><p>Saul kept his mouth shut, his expression blank. He glanced from Rosalind to the man behind her, his stomach rolling at the sight of the man he'd believed dead at his hand. A little grey around the temples, the expression on Andreas' face was one Saul recognised from the last few years of their friendship; arrogant, controlled, smug.</p><p>"Cat got your tongue?" She continued, arching an eyebrow. "Or are you disappointed it's not your darling Farah coming to save you?" </p><p>He crossed his arms over his chest and stared straight ahead. Though he'd been wondering why Farah hadn't been to visit him, and why he could no longer sense her in his mind, he wouldn't give Rosalind the satisfaction of rising to her bait.</p><p>"It's such a shame," the woman of his nightmares continued, her voice dripping with faux sincerity. "Should we tell him, Andreas? Do you think we should put him out of his misery?"</p><p>"Someone should," Andreas answered, his lips stretched in a cruel grin. "Or he'll be waiting a long time for a rescue that isn't going to come."</p><p>"True, and that would be such a waste of a good resource," Rosalind agreed with a sigh.</p><p>She took a step closer to the bars, and Saul had to resist the urge to try to grab her through them. He wanted to shake her and demand she stop playing games, to tell him where Farah was, how Sky was, and Ben. But he kept his silence, knowing it would annoy her all the more if he refused to play along</p><p>"Your darling Farah is gone, Saul. She's abandoned you." Rosalind smiled in mock sympathy. "I gave her the choice of working with me again, of being my deputy at the school, or to leave. She chose to leave."</p><p>"You're lying. Farah would never leave the school." 'Or me,' Saul added silently, cursing himself for speaking but unable to stand there and let Rosalind drip poison in his ear about the woman he... About Farah. </p><p>"Oh, but she has," Rosalind continued quietly, her eyes wide. "Can't you feel it, Saul? Or not feel it, as the case maybe? Oh, yes, I know all about that little connection of yours. I've had a lot of time to think things through and I knew you two were keeping something from me. Naughty, naughty. You should have told me from the start and we could have put it to good use."</p><p>That was exactly why they hadn't mentioned it, Saul thought grimly. When he and Farah, with the help of Ben and Rose, had realised that the bond between them was more than the usual closeness of a fairy and specialist, they'd decided to keep it between themselves. Rosalind would have used it, tainted it, twisted it, and neither of them wanted that.</p><p>"The connection's gone, Saul," the blond woman continued, oblivious to his thoughts. "She had to sever it, you see, or else you'd be able to use it to track her down and she didn't want that. No, she doesn't want to be found. Our Farah isn't as courageous as we thought her to be. She's turned into quite the coward, apparently. Such a disappointment but these things do happen. Sixteen years of not fighting have made her weak but I don't think the same should be said for you."</p><p>"Farah is not a coward," Saul spat, his eyes narrowed in anger as a slow rage began to build up inside him. "She wouldn't leave, not willingly."</p><p>"Then why can't you feel her, Saul?" Rosalind taunted. "Go ahead, try it. We can wait."</p><p>He did his best to ignore her, trying not to think about it. He tried calling for Farah in his mind, tried sensing her.</p><p>Silence.</p><p>It was almost as if the bond between them was broken, though he couldn't for one minute believe Rosalind when she said it had been done so by choice. Farah would never do so willingly, which left only one alternative, the one he'd been doing his best not to think about.</p><p>But Rosalind was here, not Farah.</p><p>And if their connection was gone, and she was gone, there could be only one reason for it.</p><p>Farah was dead.</p><p>He didn't hear Rosalind's laugh of delight, didn't realise his revelation had played out across his face in a visible display of emotion.</p><p>He didn't feel anything as he let his guard down in his grief, giving Rosalind the opportunity she needed to claim him as her own.</p><p>#</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>From the outside, the remains of the old church looked just as they had before, in ruins and unhabitable. From the inside, however, beneath the illusion Stella crafted with the guidance of Farah, a home away from home was taking shape.</p>
<p>It was rudimentary ay best, but nights spent camping out in the cold with minimal supplies during the wall had conditioned Farah to toughing it out. There was a fire courtesy of Bloom, clean water thanks to Aisha. Terra and Ben worked together to craft a roof from the surrounding trees, leaves and branches that would protect her from the elements and Farah's own magic, combined with Stella's illusion, would keep her safe from the Burned Ones and any of Rosalind's patrols.</p>
<p>Sat beside the fire, a dozing Musa resting against her shoulder, Farah felt a surge of affection for the teenagers doing so much to help her.</p>
<p>"You should let us take you somewhere else," Ben grumbled, joining his old friend and the younger fairies around the fire. </p>
<p>"This will do fine, Ben," Farah assured him, projecting an air of confidence into the words. In truth, she couldn't think of anywhere else she could go. There was nowhere to go that Rosalind wouldn’t think to look for her if she realised Farah was still alive. At least if she stayed close to her would-be grave, and to the school, Farah could keep updated on Rosalind's activities and plan her own moves accordingly. </p>
<p>Ben didn't seem at all convinced but sighed in resignation, knowing he wouldn't get her to change her mind. "Have you had any luck with the…?" He raised his eyebrows meaningfully, not wanting to broach the subject of her bond with Saul in front of the curious teenagers. </p>
<p>She'd confessed to him while Bloom and Musa had gone back to fetch their suitemates that her magic was too weak or Saul was too far away for her to use their connection and he knew she'd been trying ever since. </p>
<p>Farah gave him a weak smile, her eyes troubled. "Not yet." She cleared her throat, all too aware of the teenagers hanging on their every word. "Tell me what else has been going on. I'm aware Headmaster Silva has been taken to Solaria; what of the other faculty members? And the students?"</p>
<p>"Around half of the faculty have fallen in line with Rosalind. Those who refused to follow her were removed from their posts and escorted off the premises," Ben informed her gravely. "Usual lessons have stopped; the students will be tested tomorrow."</p>
<p>"Tested?" Farah arched an eyebrow, glancing at the Winx suite. "And yet you're here with me? Should you not be resting?"</p>
<p>Not one of the girls would meet her gaze, each too afraid she'd tell them to leave. </p>
<p>"What can we expect from the tests?" Bloom asked instead, finding the courage to lift her head and look the former headmistress in the eye. There was a slight challenge on her face, as if she expected to be told to leave and would fight it if she was.</p>
<p>Allowing their presence for a little longer, Farah inclined her head. "They won't be anything like what you've done before," she warned softly, aware of the young fairies hanging on her every word. "She'll push you to your limits, and further. Rosalind likes to use every negative emotion she can, as she believes they're the best way to coax your magic out of you. Fear, pain, anger, humiliation. Her aim is to make you lose control, to demonstrate your raw, unbridled power. You don't need to do that to pass her tests. You must at all times control your magic; it does not control you."</p>
<p>"What if we fail?" Terra asked, her worried gaze finding first her father and then the woman she loved like family. "Will we be expelled?"</p>
<p>Farah gave her goddaughter an indulgent, affectionate smile. "You won't fail, Terra. None of you will. You just need to look around at what you've achieved here to see what you're capable of."</p>
<p>"What will happen to those who do fail?" Aisha questioned, chewing anxiously on her bottom lip.</p>
<p>Farah sensed the young water fairy wasn't as confident in her own abilities as Farah herself was. "Those who fail will either be asked to leave or offered a place to stay on in a support role. Make no mistake; Alfea is no longer the school it was. It is a military academy. All lessons that have no relevance to moulding you into picture-perfect soldiers will be dropped from your schedules. There will be no time for other activities. You will live and breathe her regime. "</p>
<p>There was a small lull in the conversation, where the silence was broken only by the crackling of the fire.</p>
<p>"Is that what it was like for you?" Bloom wondered aloud. "Did she train you like that?"</p>
<p>"At the beginning," Farah said after a long, telling pause. "Don't worry, Bloom. I have no intention of sitting back and letting Rosalind stay at Alfea for long."</p>
<p>"But first," Ben interrupted before there could be any more questions, "you need to get some rest. All of you," he added, with a glance around the group that encompassed the teenagers as well as their former Headmistress.</p>
<p>"You're right, as always, Ben," Farah allowed with a small, conceding smile. "You girls need to get back to your suite before anyone notices you're gone. Try to get some sleep. I know you're worried about tomorrow's tests but please know I have every confidence in all of you, and I truly appreciate your help tonight."</p>
<p>The girls were noticeably reluctant to leave It took another five, ten minutes for Farah to convince them she would be okay and for Ben to usher them away, back to the school.</p>
<p>Left alone in the old ruins, Farah leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath, releasing it slowly as she gathered her magic to her. Feeling for the connection between herself and Saul, her brow furrowed. Where once it had been thick and strong, like woven strands of gold that glittered and gleamed in her mind, the connection looked like a single thread now, tarnished and frayed and in danger of breaking if she tugged too hard.</p>
<p><i>'I'm here, Saul,'</i> she tried to send across their bond, hoping he'd hear her or at least get a sense of her. She tried to convey a feeling of reassurance, of support and, after a moment of hesitation, love. <i>'I'm here. It's going to be okay.'</i></p>
<p>#</p>
<p>He sat in the back of the car, Andreas opposite and Rosalind behind him. He was no longer kept in a cell behind enchanted bars but there was a part of him, a small part, that was still very much aware and knew he was still a prisoner, just now he was imprisoned in his own mind.</p>
<p>Glancing at Andreas, he saw a flicker of light in his eyes.</p>
<p>Magic, which he knew Andreas didn't have.</p>
<p>It was the same glimmer, the same colour, he'd seen in Beatrix's gaze as she'd struggled and fought against Farah's attempt at getting inside her mind. He knew that the same flicker would be visible in his own eyes now if someone tried to breach his mind's defences.</p>
<p>No, not his.</p>
<p>Rosalind's.</p>
<p>It was Rosalind's power, Rosalind's control.</p>
<p>He tried to lift his hands, tried to shift a little further away from the woman whose thigh pressed against his own.</p>
<p>He couldn't.</p>
<p>He was powerless, and that was a feeling that brought back memories of feeling the infection spreading through his body like poison after the Burned Ones attacked him. </p>
<p>He dared not think about Farah, about Sky and Ben. But the more he tried not to think about them, the more they came to the forefront of his mind. He waited, expecting some kind of reaction from the woman sitting beside him. When none came, the part of him that was still his relaxed just a tiny bit, glad there was some part of him that remained safe from her reach.</p>
<p>"When we get back to the school," Rosalind began to speak, her voice catching him but surprise but he didn't jerk, didn't start. Couldn't, because she was controlling him, "you will join Andreas as co-Headmaster. You will work together to test the Specialists and root out anyone you feel would be a liability in a fight. Those who fail will be sent home," she continued as if answering his unasked question. "And those who refuse to go home can be used in training sessions."</p>
<p>"What of the fairies?" Andreas asked, and Saul found himself envying the ability to do so. He must have earned enough of Rosalind's trust to be allowed some degree of freedom, Saul surmised, no doubt years of loyalty to the twisted fairy and her underhand schemes had played a part in it. "Will you be testing them all yourself?"</p>
<p>"That was the plan," Rosalind confirmed. "But I may need to revise it," she added, stifling what Saul thought was a yawn. Though he had no idea what time or day it was, he knew it was late as it was pitch black outside as the car made its way towards Alfea."I wasn't intending on retrieving our friend so soon."</p>
<p>"Then why did we?" Andreas continued to question. "I thought the plan was to leave him for a little longer."</p>
<p>"The students and faculty need a familiar face. Some reassurance," Rosalind said dismissively. "Having Saul back amongst our ranks will show them there's nothing untoward going on."</p>
<p>"But they all know he was arrested," Andreas pointed out. "You had Luna arrest him in front of witnesses. She's not going to be happy when she finds out we've taken him from the prison –"</p>
<p>"I'll handle our dear Queen," Rosalind sneered, her cold eyes narrowing as they turned to stare at Saul. Saul was powerless but to do anything but stare back. It made her smile, and that made his stomach churn. "I reconsidered," she continued, answering Andreas question. "He'll be of more use to us at Alfea, where I can keep my eye on him. I'll let Luna work out the details, say there was a misunderstanding or whatever story she wishes to concoct. If she protests him being with us, I still have some tricks up my sleeve."</p>
<p>Andreas shrugged, apparently unconcerned about those tricks. He seemed to consider the conversation over and resumed watching the passing scenery. Saul didn't have that option, his head remaining facing Rosalind as she studied him. Her eyes glowed and he felt her inside his mind, her mental touch repulsing him whereas Farah's... Farah's had always soothed, reassured, calmed.</p>
<p>Farah's had never intruded, pushing passed his barriers into places he didn't want her to go, but Rosalind did, and she enjoyed the discomfort it caused, the smile on her face growing as she searched out his mind for any reference, any connection to his missing fairy.</p>
<p>She found none and seemed satisfied with that while Saul felt bereft – and confused.</p>
<p>"You'll do what I say and won't question it," Rosalind told him smugly. "If someone asks about Farah, you will tell them that she's gone. You will tell them that she visited you in prison to say goodbye and left of her own free will."</p>
<p>He wouldn't – didn't want to. He gritted his teeth, tried to fight – and cried out in pain. "I will," he gasped, the words sounding like a stranger. "I'll tell them she's gone."</p>
<p>"You'll tell them she doesn't care," she continued, the glow in her eyes growing more intense as the pain threatened to overwhelm him. "When our little changeling asks, or any of the others Farah took under her wing, you will tell them that she doesn't care for them, that she only cares for herself. You will tell them that they should move on, stop thinking about her, stop looking. Farah Dowling is gone. Why," she added, lips curling a cold grin, "she might as well be dead."</p>
<p>
  <i>Dead.</i>
</p>
<p>Farah was dead.</p>
<p>Farah had left him. Farah was dead.</p>
<p>The pain was blinding, the magic that flooded him foreign and disgusting.</p>
<p>Saul cried out again, collapsed against the seat.</p>
<p>Tears of frustration and fear leaked from the corners of his eyes as Rosalind chuckled beside him, Andreas looking blankly out of the window.</p>
<p>He was going back to Alfea, but Alfea no longer felt like his home.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I realised I'd written myself into a little hole as Rosalind was in Alfea one moment and at the prison in the next; I hope I've managed to write myself out of that in this chapter. Oops! I also wanted to ask if you'd prefer shorter parts more regularly or longer parts less often - since I'm not getting a lot of time for writing at the moment, I'm happy to go with what the majority would like :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Headmaster Silva's returned caused a stir, as she'd known it would. Rosalind was glad to have given the faculty something else to gossip about, but it wasn't without its complications. </p>
<p>She'd already ignored two calls from Queen Luna, knowing the Queen would be infuriated at the last-minute change of plans. Originally, their agreement was that Saul would face a trial and Luna would get to use it to strengthen the political ties with Eraklyon by returning their long-lost son to them, and give them justice for the perceived crimes against one of their own. That, and the benefit of getting one up on Farah, had been enough to convince Luna of Rosalind's plan. Now it had changed, Rosalind knew she'd have to offer Luna something else, something more enticing.</p>
<p>Either that or Rosalind would bring up the subject of Aster Dell. She wasn't above blackmail, after all.</p>
<p>Having to deal with the Queen was the least of her concerns; she had a school of fairies and Specialists to run, and only a matter of time to whip them into shape before embarking on the next stage of her plan.</p>
<p>A lack of sleep didn't help her focus; in hindsight, she shouldn't have let her late-night thoughts get the better of her. She should have ignored those thoughts, should've fixed herself a drink with one of the elixirs she kept hidden in her room and had a good night's sleep.</p>
<p>Thinking of the potions, she walked to the small cupboard kept concealed by her magic and waved her hand, revealing it and unlocking the spell that kept it closed.</p>
<p>The sight of the three bottles – one amber, one black, and one silver – made her smile. The witches of Aster Dell had been incredibly generous to teach her their ways; it was such a shame she'd had to kill them in the end.</p>
<p>The amber bottle caught her eye even as she reached passed it for the black. Two drops of the liquid went into her bottle of water as she considered the glow of the amber elixir. It was the most potent of the three, the most valuable. She tried to use as little of it as possible, knowing to replace it would be impossible…</p>
<p>But…</p>
<p>Silva was proving to be quite the challenge. Oh, she hadn't expected it to be easy by any means. He was a strong-willed man and always had been, proving it when he'd stood up to Andreas, his best friend, in a futile attempt at stopping the events at Aster Dell from unfolding the way they had. The bond that Saul shared with Farah had only strengthened his resolve, which was why she'd thought losing it would leave his mind weak enough to be open to her influence.</p>
<p>He was still fighting her, though. She could feel him slip away from her every so often, having to tighten her grasp on his mind to keep him from breaking free completely. </p>
<p>A few drops of the witch's potion would help, she knew. She'd used a single drop on Andreas, on Beatrix. Had debated using it on Farah herself but didn't know how the mind-altering substance would affect a mind fairy.</p>
<p>Still debating, she put the green bottle back and concealed the cupboard with her magic. Taking a sip of the doctored water, she felt an immediate buzz of magical energy under her skin. The tingle always burned at first, a sharp sting of pain before settling into a deep reserve of energy she almost couldn't contain.</p>
<p>Squaring her shoulders, fairy magic and witch magic colliding in her body, Rosalind smiled and strode out of her suite. The day was young, and she had fairies to test.</p>
<p>#<br/>At the back of her mind, she knew it wasn't real. </p>
<p>One moment she'd been able to feel the sun on her skin, heard the sounds of the Specialists bantering as they trained together just through the trees. The next it was cold, so cold. And dark, almost pitch black.</p>
<p>Her breath was visible on the air in front of her, her skin chilled even as she rubbed her arms with her hands in an attempt at generating some heat. Alfea and the safety it represented were gone, replaced by a dense woodland that reminded her of the forest on the other side of the barrier. </p>
<p>Branches clacked against each other as the wind picked up and Stella felt her fear grow, paralysing her, as the unmistakable call of a Burned One close by reached her ears.</p>
<p>Her heart pounded in her chest, thumping in her ears. She squeezed her eyes shut as the Burned One got closer, its call causing shivers to race down her spine.</p>
<p>Her magic wouldn't come to her.</p>
<p>Her light failed.</p>
<p>Tears slid down her cheeks as she resigned herself to her fate, to her inevitable death.</p>
<p><i>'Focus, Stella. Focus on the light inside you.</i>' Ms Dowling's voice rang out in her head, as clear as a bell, as if the woman herself was standing next to her.<i> 'It isn't real. Prove it. Use your magic to push the illusion away. Light up the shadows and you'll see.'</i></p>
<p><i>'But I'm scared,'</i> Stella thought, a whimper escaping her as the Burned One got closer. <i>'I don't know what to do.' </i></p>
<p>
  <i>'Use your magic. Focus on it. You can feel it inside you; imagine feeling it in your hands, at your fingertips. It's warm and it's real and it's pliable. It's eager to do what you want it to, Stella. All you need to do is tell it what that is.'</i>
</p>
<p><i>'I want it to be light again. I want to see what's real.' </i>Stella took a deep breath and opened her eyes. Her light danced on her palms, feeling excitable and eager, as Ms Dowling said. <i> 'Banish the shadows. Show me what's real.' </i></p>
<p>Her light flared, bright and brilliant. She didn't need to close her eyes against its brightness and instead watched as the dark forest seemed to flicker for a moment before folding in on itself. It faded slowly, not with the click of her fingers like her mother could have done, but Stella still felt proud when she found herself standing under the sun in the grounds of Alfea once more.</p>
<p>Rosalind's lips quirked upwards, the glow receding from her eyes as her illusion was broken. "I'm impressed, Princess. We might make something of you yet."</p>
<p>The Headmistress turned on her heel and strode away, no doubt to test – torment, Stella thought- her next victim. She waited to feel a surge of pride, of warmth that she'd impressed her teacher, the kind of warmth she felt whenever Ms Dowling praised her for succeeding in controlling her magic.</p>
<p>She was unsurprised when the feeling didn't come.</p>
<p>#</p>
<p>It went against everything she was to use her magic to hurt. </p>
<p>Oh, there'd been that one time, when Riven had been tormenting Dane and she'd used her magic to teach him a lesson. And that other time, when she'd used it to keep Dane still long enough to confront him over his secret conversations with Bloom.</p>
<p>But she hadn't hurt them. Not really.</p>
<p>It was against what Terra stood for to cause pain or take away from the living; her magic was meant to nurture, to give encourage life to find a way to blossom and bloom and be beautiful and vibrant and healthy. </p>
<p>"Again, Terra. This time like you mean it." There was an edge of impatience in the instructor's voice. The woman wasn't one she knew as being a teacher at the school and seemed to have arrived during the night at Rosalind's bidding. </p>
<p>Rosalind herself stood nearby, observing but not an active participant in the test. There was another fairy at her feet, sobbing, as she tried and failed to do what the new Headmistress wanted her to. Rosalind barely spared the weeping second year a glance, her ever-moving gaze wandering over the other earth fairies being pushed to their limits.</p>
<p>"Your magic is connected to the earth, to all things living within it," the instructor continued coldly. "Locate the tree I indicated in your mind, and kill it."</p>
<p>Locating the tree wasn't an issue; she found it easily enough. A huge old oak in the centre of the forest, nearly a mile away from where she was standing. She sent her magic out through the soil and stones between it and her, following the trail of roots until she had it in her mind.</p>
<p>It was beautiful, pulsating.</p>
<p>Alive.</p>
<p>"Kill it, Terra. Start at the roots. Feel it wither and die."</p>
<p>"I don't want to," Terra whimpered, a tear slipping down her cheek at the thought of being responsible for the death of such an old tree. She knew why they were pushing her; her father had warned her Rosalind would test her to see what she was capable of, whether she was capable of taking life as easily as she could give it. "Please don't make me."</p>
<p>"Do you want to fail?" Rosalind's voice was calm, cool. Close. Terra snapped her eyes open to find the older woman standing beside her, a strange smile on her face. "Your mother would be so disappointed in you if you did, Terra. Did your father tell you that I knew her? Sweet little Rose with a ruthless edge when she needed it. Do you have that edge in you?"</p>
<p>"I..." She could, but she didn't want to. And she couldn't for one second imagine either of her parents having what it took to kill a living thing, though knew they must have as they'd both fought in the war against the Burned Ones.</p>
<p>With Rosalind.</p>
<p>But she didn't want to kill the tree, nor did she want to fail. </p>
<p>
  <i>'Weaken it, don't kill it. Let them believe it's dying and you can heal it later.'</i>
</p>
<p>Her Godmother's voice made her eyes widened. She glanced around, heart beating frantically for a moment before she realised Farah's voice had come from within her head. She looked at Rosalind to see the Headmistress staring at her, an eyebrow arched in impatient expectation.</p>
<p>
  <i>'You can give life as well as take it away, Terra. Don't be afraid of your gift.'</i>
</p>
<p>Grabbing onto the thought and the hope it provided, Terra said a silent apology to the tree in her mind before concentrating her magic on its roots as she was instructed.</p>
<p>"Good girl," Rosalind praised when her instructor nodded sharply to confirm the tree was dying. "Try not to be so hesitant next time."</p>
<p>#</p>
<p>Bloom sat on the sofa in the Winx suite, head resting against the back of it as she waited impatiently for her suitemates to return. She hadn't been expecting to be back so soon, having a test time that was in between the others, but then her test hadn't been what she'd been expecting, either – mostly because there hadn't been one.</p>
<p>She'd arrived at the allotted time in the allotted place, confused that the corner of the courtyard was quiet. </p>
<p>The rest of the school was a hive of activity, with fairies and specialists alike gathering in small groups to talk about their own experiences and worry about whether they'd done enough. She'd passed three separate groups, each trying to comfort one of their group members, male and female, who sat in tears sobbing that they'd ruined their chances of staying at Alfea.</p>
<p>She wasn't left confused for long, as Beatrix soon made her presence known.</p>
<p>"It's your lucky day," the air fairy had greeted her, lips painted in their signature dark colour curled up in a smile. "Rosalind said you don't need to be tested. She said your wings are proof enough that you're exactly what she's looking for."</p>
<p>"Then why was I given a time?" Bloom had asked, wishing she could've stayed in her suite and wait for her friends, or maybe sneak out if everyone was distracted and check that Ms Dowling was okay –</p>
<p>"She wants us to spend some time together. She thinks we should bond." Beatrix rolled her eyes but was clearly not about to disobey the woman. "We're going to be her new A-team. You, me, Riven, Dane and Sky. Assuming your Specialist passes his test, of course. My father won't go easy on him just because he's his son."</p>
<p>"Your father. Andreas is your father?"</p>
<p>"As good as." It was clear Beatrix was proud of it. "So, what's it to be? Should we do some fairy bonding and keep Rosalind happy?"</p>
<p>It was the last thing in the world Bloom wanted to do, but it was an opportunity to gather some information and she took it. She spent almost an hour walking around the grounds with Beatrix, trying to ask her about Andreas and Rosalind and find out if the air fairy had any insight into their plans for the school. She tried to figure out if Beatrix knew what Rosalind had really done, or tried to do, to the rightful Headmistress of Alfea but quickly determined Beatrix wasn't as privy to Rosalind's plans as she liked to think she was when they both stopped short at the sight of the former Headmaster walking side by side with the newly appointed one.</p>
<p>"Mr Silva," Bloom called out, unable to help herself. Her heart leapt in her chest for both Sky and for Ms Dowling, knowing the Specialist being back at Alfea would be welcomed by them. "It's good to see you back."</p>
<p>It took a moment for Silva to look at her, and when he did, Bloom had to stifle a gasp. He didn't look right, his skin a sickly colour and his eyes... His eyes were different. Not quite like they were when he'd been fighting the Burned One infection but not their usual shade, either. </p>
<p>He stared at her, stared through her, and walked on without acknowledging she'd spoken.</p>
<p>She turned to ask Beatrix what was going on and why the former Headmaster was back only to see the air fairy looked just as stunned as she was.</p>
<p>"It's been good talking to you," Bloom had lied, needing to find Sky, needing to get back to her friends. "Maybe we'll do it again sometime."</p>
<p>Beatrix had recovered from her surprise quickly, a flash of a smile on her face as she turned to follow her 'as good as' father and Silva towards the Specialists training fields. "Oh, I'm sure we will."</p>
<p>Bloom had hurried to Sky's suite only to find it empty. She'd sent him a text message instead, asking him to give her a call when he was free and made her wait to the Winx suite where she had nothing to do but to sit and wait for her friends to return.</p>
<p>#</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So, so sorry for the delay in getting more of this out. If you follow me on Tumblr, you'll know my health has taken a dip recently, which has had an impact on everything else. I'm still here, still determined to finish this story. It's just going to take a while, so bear with me!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>#</p>
<p>"You're hurting him!" Musa cried out, trying to get up from the table where she was sat opposite one of the Solarian soldiers. "Please, stop."</p>
<p>"We'll stop when we're done. Ask him again, Musa." Behind the soldier, Rosalind's eyes flashed. The man sitting in front of her cried out as blue magical electricity skittered up his arms, up to his neck and seemed to grasp at his face. "Ask him again and tell me if he's telling the truth."</p>
<p>Tears rolled down Musa's cheeks as the soldier's pain and fear and frustration poured out of him and into her. She didn't need to try and use her magic to feel what he was feeling, just as she didn't need to try to know Rosalind was getting sick satisfaction at the torture she was inflicting.</p>
<p>"Tell me your name, where you're from and how old you are," Musa instructed, her voice shaking.</p>
<p>The soldier clenched his jaw, trying not to answer. His hands clenched and sweat beaded at his brow. He wanted to answer, she knew, but Rosalind had done something to him, something that kept him from being able to.</p>
<p>It was Musa's job, Rosalind had instructed, to break through his mental defences, both those he had himself and those Rosalind had erected with her magic. Musa had tried to argue that she was an empath, not a mind reader, but Rosalind had merely smiled indulgently and raised an eyebrow.</p>
<p>"Concentrate on the barrier, Musa. All you have to do is break through it," Rosalind said it so matter-of-factly, made it sound so easy.</p>
<p>But every time Musa's magic got close to the barrier she could sense, the soldier cried out in pain.</p>
<p><i>'Try finding the flaw. Every barrier has a weakness.' </i>A wave of calm serenity washed over her. <i>'You don't need to break through with aggression. A gentle tap in the right place will cause it to shatter.'</i></p>
<p><i>'I'm scared I'll hurt him,'</i> Musa thought back desperately. <i>'He's in so much pain.'</i></p>
<p><i>'Because of Rosalind,'</i> Ms Dowling's voice told her soothingly. <i>'Looking into someone's mind, when done correctly, causes them no pain. Any pain he's feeling is Rosalind's doing, to test you. She wants you to be afraid of your powers. She wants you to feel like you need her to guide you. You don't. You are a strong empath and have so much potential to develop your powers. Trust me, Musa, if you can't find it in you to trust yourself.'</i></p>
<p>Another tear slid down her cheek. Musa concentrated, calling her powers to her. She used them to inspect the barrier around the soldier's mind, searching for a weak spot. She felt a surge of exhausted triumph at finding the flaw. She listened to Farah's voice in her head, followed the former Headmistress's instructions and was finally able to break through the shell around the soldier's mind.</p>
<p>"Tell me your name and age," she instructed quietly, a tired smile curling her lips as the soldier blinked in surprise at the release in pressure.</p>
<p>"My name is Brandon," he replied. "I'm nineteen, from Solaria."</p>
<p>Rosalind's eyes narrowed, suspicion on her face, but she eventually inclined her head in approval. "Good work, Musa. We'll make an interrogator out of you one day."</p>
<p>Musa's smile slipped, and she struggled to hide her troubled thoughts, hoping that one day would never come.</p>
<p>#</p>
<p>Aisha thought her test was impossible. </p>
<p>She was taken to the pond with the other water fairies and asked to part it to allow for a regiment of Solarian soldiers to walk through it safely. </p>
<p>Some of the other fairies struggled, either due to the sheer volume of water or due to the pressure that was placed on them as the soldiers ambled their way along, having been told to take their time. It was the older students who managed, though she watched the sweat break out across their brows as she waited for her turn, worrying that if they found it so hard, how was she, a first-year, going to manage?</p>
<p>Then again, she'd recently put her magic to the test when she'd helped Bloom defeat the Burned Ones, summoning a huge amount of power that had surrounded the fire fairy and kept her safe from harm as she'd harnessed her own magic.</p>
<p>It wasn't an impossible test, but it was going to be a hard one. </p>
<p>One she thought she could pass, but when it was her turn to show what she was capable of, Aisha found herself hesitating.  </p>
<p>She reached out with her magic, feeling the water respond to her, eager to do her bidding. She started to part it, eyes glowing blue as she took control of the element she was born to. </p>
<p>And then she stopped.</p>
<p><i>'You can do it, Aisha.'</i> Ms Dowling's voice in her mind was reassuring but still, she paused. <i>'Aisha?'</i></p>
<p><i>'What if I fail?'</i> Aisha asked in her mind, hoping Ms Dowling would be able to hear and respond to her. <i>'If I fail and refuse to be support services, what will Rosalind do with me?'</i></p>
<p>There was silence for a few moments, then a voice tinged with regret in her mind. <i>'I can't say for certain, Aisha. Some students who fail are sent home to their families. Others simply disappeared. Rosalind told their parents that they'd died during battles with the Burned Ones, but I know that wasn't true. They failed, and then they disappeared. You can, and must, pass this test, Aisha. For your own safety, and that of your suitemates.'</i></p>
<p>With a heavy sigh, Aisha continued. Part of her had wanted to fail, she knew, wanted to use it as an excuse to leave the school and join Ms Dowling in the woods. </p>
<p>But Ms Dowling was right; she couldn't take the risk. Besides, the former Headmistress would no doubt be angry at her if she did.</p>
<p>She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, the still water parting in front of her as she spread her arms. It rose on both sides, higher than most of the others had managed, giving the soldiers a wider path.</p>
<p>Their leader glanced at her and then at the fairy observing the test, who nodded his approval. The soldiers began their slow march and Aisha watched, biting her lip. She felt a little strain on her magic, felt the pressure of holding so much water apart in such an unnatural way but realised it was nothing she couldn't handle.</p>
<p><i>'You're stronger than you know,'</i> Ms Dowling's voice sounded in her mind again, soft but full of pride that filled her with warmth. <i>'Believe in yourself. Don't let self-doubt prevent you from reaching your full potential.'</i></p>
<p>The soldiers passed through safely, and Aisha allowed the water to return to its usual state. She felt a little tired but otherwise fine. Biting her lip, she glanced at her fellow students and saw some were watching her with awe, others with envy.</p>
<p>The teacher testing her, one of Rosalind's new appointments, gave her a warm smile that looked strangely familiar, though she couldn't place how or why. "Good work, Aisha," the older woman praised. "I see what I've heard about you wasn't exaggerated."</p>
<p>Wanting to ask what she'd heard and who she'd heard it from, Aisha opened her mouth but her teacher winked and walked away, calling for the next first year to take their place beside her. Heading to the trees where the others stood, Aisha leaned against a tree trunk and let her mind wander, wondering how her suitemates were faring.</p>
<p>#</p>
<p>When Ben found out that Saul was back at the school, he sought him out, determined to tell him about Farah. It took all of a minute of having the former Headmaster in his sights for him to determine that there was something wrong. </p>
<p>Something terribly, seriously wrong.</p>
<p>For one, Saul barely acknowledged him.</p>
<p>For another, his eyes were wrong.</p>
<p>Andreas smirked as the Specialist Ben had come to count on walked past the earth fairy with barely a glance, enjoying the hurt that flashed across Ben's face for a split second before he managed to conceal it.</p>
<p>"Don't take it personally," Andreas said with a malicious grin. "Silva's wised up and realised where his loyalties lie." The Specialist and newly appointed Headmaster nudged Ben non-too-gently. "Maybe it'd be a good idea for you to re-evaluate, too."</p>
<p>Refusing to rise to the bait, Ben turned away, hurrying from the corridor to the sanctity of the greenhouse. He was surprised to find it already occupied, more so when the woman inspecting the plants on his workbench turned to face him.</p>
<p>"Hello, Ben," she greeted him, her brown eyes locking with his. "It's been a while."</p>
<p>"Cassandra," he managed, his voice a surprised croak. He cleared his throat as she looked on, amusement playing across her face. "What are you doing here?"</p>
<p>The water fairy rolled her eyes and tossed her dark hair over her shoulder. "I thought that would be obvious. I'm here to find my sister. You wouldn't happen to know how I can do that, would you?"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>#</p><p>He felt like he was watching everything through someone else's eyes. He was a puppet of Rosalind's making and no matter how much he fought her influence, he couldn't quite break through it. </p><p>It was more than her magic now, he knew, though couldn't pinpoint when or what had changed. Sometime after his return to Alfea, her control on him had strengthened, doubled, and the magic she had on his mind was reinforced by unfamiliar magic he felt from inside him.</p><p>Turning away from Ben, seeing the hurt on his oldest friend's face, had been upsetting, but it was nothing compared to when Andreas had brought Sky to his room.</p><p>"I just want answers," Sky was saying as Andreas led him into the darkened room. It was much smaller than the suite belonging to the Headmaster, but Andreas had taken over those rooms and refused to move so Rosalind had assigned Saul a small room nearby. "Bloom said she saw Silva. I thought he was in Solaria. Sam said Professor Harvey confirmed he was back but –"</p><p>"All in good time, son," Andreas assured the young man. It caused something in Saul's chest to twist painfully at Andreas using the familial term to address Sky. "Come in now."</p><p>Saul sat in the chair, back ramrod straight. He hadn't turned on a light when he'd walked into the room so when Andreas hit the switch and the room suddenly became bright, it stung his eyes and made him blink.</p><p>"Silva?" Surprise caused Sky's jaw to drop, his eyes growing wide. "When did you get here? How?"</p><p>"Your father brought me home," Saul heard himself answer. His voice sounded strangely robotic to his own ears, and he wondered if he sounded strange to Sky, too, as the boy he'd raised frowned. "He graciously convinced Queen Luna to show mercy and explained how we were all under a great deal of stress. I'm fortunate he's forgiven me, Sky. I only hope in time you will forgive me, too."</p><p>The voice was Saul's but the words weren't. They were the words Andreas had chosen, words designed to show the Eraklyon in the best possible light. He and Rosalind had made Saul repeat them, over and over, until he had them memorised.</p><p>"I..." Sky glanced between the two of them, clearly feeling torn between the man who'd raised him and the one who was biologically his father. He squared his shoulders and held his head high. "If my father can forgive you, so can I. It's good to have you back, Silva."</p><p>Andreas cleared his throat and shot Saul a meaningful glance. "Son, Silva and I were talking on the way here. We know this is going to be difficult for you, so Silva suggested..." With a fake sigh, Andreas shook his head. "It's your decision, Saul. I think you should be the one to tell him."</p><p>"Tell me what?" Again, Sky looked between the two of them.</p><p>Saul fought himself, not wanting to speak the words implanted in his brain. He didn't want to see Sky's reaction, didn't want to see the boy hurt or, worse, accepting of the choice Andreas had made for them both.</p><p>"I think it's best we put some distance between us, Sky. You need to spend time with your real father. You're not... You're not my son," Saul clenched his hands into fists, and renewed his efforts to fight it but was helpless to stop the words from tumbling out. "You've never been mine. You have a second chance at getting to know Andreas and I don't want to get in the way of that, especially as it was my fault you were denied him growing up."</p><p>"But Silva – Saul – " Sky began to protest, as Andreas had known he would.</p><p>"This is my decision, Sky. I don't want anything more to do with you." The words were harsh, and Saul noticed Andreas lower his head to hide a smirk. "You keep your distance and I'll keep mine."</p><p>Sky's expression was more than hurt; it was heartbroken. The teenager's eyes shone but, to his credit, he didn't let the tears fall. He clenched his jaw, jerked his head sharply, and turned to leave.</p><p>Saul was powerless to stop him. He looked at Andreas, desperate to see a glimmer of remorse in his old friend but instead just saw the cool, cruel smirk that was beginning to feel all too familiar to him.</p><p>"Good job, Silva," Andreas praised him mockingly. "Now keep your distance, and no one else needs to get hurt."</p><p>Farah was dead. Sky no doubted hated him. He'd hurt Ben by turning away from him.</p><p>Who else, Saul wondered, was there left to hurt?</p><p>#</p><p>Voices woke her from an unsettled slumber. Farah jerked awake, her heart racing in her chest. She'd fallen asleep while trying in vain to contact Saul and had suffered some disturbing dreams as a result.</p><p>Dreams of being on the opposite side of a barrier to him and being unable to cross. She'd hit it until her hands bled, screamed until her voice was hoarse, but Saul continued to sit at a table with Rosalind and Andreas, oblivious to her calls.</p><p>As she came to remember where she was, and why, Farah froze, listening to the voices on the other side of the old church ruins that had caused her to awaken.</p><p>"This is where they're buried." It was a young voice, familiar but one she couldn't place immediately. "This is where Rosalind told Dowling her services were no longer required, and Dowling fled like the coward she is."</p><p>Beatrix. Of course.</p><p>"How do you know this is where it happened?" And that was Riven, cocky but somehow unsure of himself. The young man had always reminded Farah a little of Saul in a way, of the uncertain teenager putting on a front that Saul had once been.</p><p>"Rosalind told me," Beatrix answered, smug and matter-of-fact. "Just as she told me this is where Dowling buried the Burned Ones. As if they deserved a burial."</p><p>"So, we're here because...?" Dane, Farah recognised. The unlikely third member of their inseparable trio.</p><p>"Live a little," Riven teased, and Farah heard the sounds of a – hopefully playful – scuffle. "What are you afraid of? Ghosts?"</p><p>"Good idea, Riven," Beatrix all but purred. "Why don't we see what the Burned Ones have to say for themselves?"</p><p>"You... You can do that? Speak to ghosts?" </p><p>There was a moment of silence, then Beatrix laughed lightly. "Oh, Dane. You are so naïve sometimes. Fairies can't raise the dead, sadly. You'd need to have witch magic to do that. There are some spells, of course, that a fairy might be able to do, passed on from the blood witches but Rosalind won't share those."</p><p>Neither Dane nor Riven questioned how or why Rosalind could know blood witch magic but Farah did. She listened to the teenagers messing around for a little while longer until she was certain the illusion she'd crafted with Stella was doing its job. Allowing her mind to drift, she found herself thinking back to Aster Dell, to the remains of the coastal town she'd walked through in a state of horrified shock.</p><p>Had they been blood witches, like Rosalind had seemingly started telling people to justify her actions? Or had they been innocents like Farah had believed for so long, people just trying to get on with their lives until the Burned Ones had descended on them? Had the Burned Ones been drawn there because of Bloom and the magic inside her, or because Rosalind and the Solarian Army had herded them there to make it an easy target?</p><p>Did Rosalind even know the truth herself? Had she ever known? Or was it all part of some grand master plan, one that wouldn’t make sense until all of the pieces of the puzzle were revealed and fell into place?</p><p>"What do you think you're doing out here?" A fourth, older voice joined the teenagers. Sharp and familiar, it made Farah sit up straighter. "Headmistress Rosalind made it clear all students were forbidden from crossing the barrier."</p><p>"Not all students, Miss –?" Beatrix's voice was sickeningly sweet.</p><p>"It's Ms Selda, and I am certain there were no exceptions to the rule. It isn't safe out here; there may still be Burned Ones." She waited a beat. "Go on now. Back to the school."</p><p>The teenagers departed but not without some grumbling and muttering under their breath. Farah slowly got to her feet, her legs unsteady, and called her magic to her as she felt the familiar form approach.</p><p>"Fa?" The voice called out softly, hovering at the edge of the illusion. "Can you hear me?"</p><p>"Yes." Her breath tumbling out of her in a shaky breath, Farah followed the sound of the voice and lifted her hand. Her eyes flashed as she reshaped the illusion, allowing the teacher on the other side to step through it. "Cassie."</p><p>"Farah." Her younger sister grinned at her, eyes bright with relief and something Farah couldn't name. "Gods, Fa. I thought you were dead." </p><p>"Close, but not quite." Confused, fearful but pleased to see her, Farah opened her arms and closed her eyes as Cassandra surged towards her. The magic between them surged for a moment, delighting at the reunion. "What are you doing here, Cassandra?" Farah asked as she reluctantly pulled away. "It's not safe. If Rosalind knew who you were –"</p><p>"She doesn't." Cassandra waved a hand dismissively, before leading the way back to the fire. "You went to great lengths to make sure she never knew you had sisters, remember? As far as she's concerned, I'm a substitute teacher desperate to make a good impression."</p><p>"Be that as it may, you really shouldn't be here." Farah lowered herself to the ground, gripping Cassandra's hand as her sister followed. "How did you know how to find me?"</p><p>Cassandra grinned again, shrugging a shoulder. "Ben was all too keen to tell me. I think he wanted to come himself but it looks like Rosalind has him under surveillance, especially since –" Cassandra cut herself off, her gaze dropping from Farah's. </p><p>"What is it?" Farah asked gently. "Cassandra?"</p><p>"It's Saul, Fa." Biting her lip, Cassandra studied her sister carefully. "He's back at Alfea but he's different. He didn't recognise me, he ignored Ben. I heard he pretty much told Sky he wants nothing more to do with him. There's something wrong with him, Farah. His eyes are wrong."</p><p>Farah closed her own eyes, pain lancing through her. On one hand, she was glad Saul was close but on the other... If her theory was correct, it would explain why she couldn't reach him through their bond, and why her magic felt a strange resistance when she tried. "Is she controlling him?"</p><p>"I think so. I tried to break through but there's something blocking my magic. It's more than the usual fairy mind control." Cassandra sighed and shook her head. "You'd have more luck, I think, because your mind magic is so much stronger than mine, plus you have the extra advantage of your bond, but I wanted to speak to you first. I could try and get him here, but it wouldn't be easy. Rosalind and Andreas have him on a tight leash."</p><p>"No, it's best if he doesn’t come here. Not yet." Not until she was stronger, Farah thought determinedly. Her magic was still too sluggish to try breaking through one of Rosalind's spells without alerting her former mentor to the fact she was still alive. "You still haven't explained what you're doing here. I thought we had an agreement about Alfea being off-limits."</p><p>"I thought the agreement was null and void when I couldn't feel you anymore. Liv, too," Cassandra added with a shrug. "She's not at the school," she added hurriedly when Farah's eyes flashed. "She's gone to see Luna in Solaria instead."</p><p>Farah groaned, her eyes slipping closed. For as long as she could remember, she'd tried to protect her sisters. Their father had made the decision to send them to different schools across the realms and Farah, as the oldest, had taken his warnings to heart. Even after he'd died and the perceived danger, they'd been in had died with him, she and her sisters had decided to keep their connection to one another secret.</p><p>"What does she hope to gain from speaking to Luna?" Farah asked, though wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer. </p><p>"They've got history," Cassandra said with a shrug. "We were on our way here after we lost contact with you, and then we got word that Rosalind was back and Luna had made her Headmistress. I think Liv wants to know how much Luna knows, if she was part in whatever happened to you."</p><p>"I don't think she was," Farah said slowly. It hurt to think that her former friend and suitemate might have known what Rosalind had in store for her. "No, I think she must've believed Rosalind when she said I'd decided to take a sabbatical. Luna knows about you two; I wouldn't be surprised if she thought I'd gone to see you."</p><p>Cassandra made a sound of disbelief. "Anyone who knows you knows you wouldn't have left Alfea. It's your home, and you're utterly dedicated to the students. As most of them are to you, I have to say," she added with a smile. "The Winx suite in particular."</p><p>"You've met the girls?"</p><p>"In passing, other than Aisha. I supervised her test; you're right, she has huge potential." </p><p>Farah nodded, pleased. "They all do. Has Rosalind said anything about Bloom?"</p><p>"Only that she intends to mentor her personally. I've heard rumours, of course. Something about wings, though it appears there were very few witnesses." Cassandra's tone was mild, her eyebrow arched. "Is it true?"</p><p>She hesitated for only a second, but it was enough. "Yes."</p><p>Cassandra nodded slowly, her expression thoughtful. "Have you told her?"</p><p>"No." The reply was immediate. "I will."</p><p>Not wanting to push it, Cassandra opened the backpack she'd brought with her. "Well, I better be heading back. I just thought you might want some home comforts, some food you don't have to grow." She glanced around at the ruins after emptying the backpack. "Surely there's got to be somewhere better than this, Fa? Somewhere less open, more homely?"</p><p>"Not anywhere that's close enough to the school without being on the other side of the barrier." Farah sighed and shook her head. "I need to be close enough to know what Rosalind's doing, close enough to help the students if they need me."</p><p>"And far enough away that she doesn't realise you're here and alive." Cassandra nodded to show she understood. "Try and get some rest, Farah. I don't know if it helps knowing I'm here to help keep an eye on the kids but I am, and I won't let anything happen to them."</p><p>"Just make sure nothing happens to you, too." Farah stood gracefully, reaching out for her sister. "I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you or Liv."</p><p>Cassandra hugged her back, reluctant to let go. "Right back at you, Farah. For my sake, please be careful."</p><p>They hugged again before parting ways, Cassandra back to Alfea, Farah settling back down in her makeshift home as she planned her next move.</p><p>#</p><p>The Solarian palace hadn't changed in the slightest. She strode through the hallways, the soldiers oblivious to her presence. She wove her magic around her like the cloak she wore, leaving those she passed feeling a light breeze but nothing more.</p><p>The throne room was all but deserted but it wasn't the almost empty chamber she was interested in; no, she was focused on the room behind it, concealed by a heavy curtain in rich red and gold.</p><p>The Queen's private sanctuary, a room few knew about and even fewer had been invited to view.</p><p>Olivia stepped through the curtain as though it didn't exist, through the heavy wooden door behind it and stood in front of the desk.</p><p>Queen Luna had her head bowed, and it took a moment or two longer for her to realise she wasn't alone. Her eyes widened, her call for her guards dying on her lips as Olivia allowed herself to be seen.</p><p>"Hello, Luna," she greeted her former friend and lover. "It's been a long time."</p><p>"Olivia." Getting to her feet, Luna hesitated. She looked as though she didn't know whether to call for backup or move in for an embrace. </p><p>"I want to know one thing, and one thing only," Olivia began, not giving the Queen a chance to decide. Her tone was hard, her eyes flashing with magic no fairy could hope to possess. "Did you know Rosalind planned to kill my sister?"</p><p>#</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you all for the lovely comments and support x</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>#</p>
<p>Being summoned to the Headmistress's office was not how she intended on starting her morning, but Cassandra went along anyway, careful to keep all thoughts of her sister and her resentment towards Rosalind behind a cage in her mind.</p>
<p>"Beatrix tells me you were at the old cemetery last night," Rosalind began without preamble. "Would you care to tell me why?"</p>
<p>"I followed the students. Beatrix, was it? And two boys." Cassandra shrugged a shoulder. "They disobeyed your direct order, Headmistress. I thought it prudent to make sure they knew it hadn't gone unnoticed and that they were able to return safely to Alfea."</p>
<p>Rosalind stared at her for a moment before nodding. "I see. Beatrix is... different. She's used to having more leeway than the others but I will speak with her about following rules."</p>
<p>"An army is only as strong as its weakest soldier," Cassandra said quietly, watching Rosalind's expression carefully.</p>
<p>Approval warmed Rosalind's blue eyes. "Exactly my thinking. Now, I believe you're a water fairy."</p>
<p>"Water is my primary element," Cassandra confirmed. "I'm proficient in earth, air and basic mind magic."</p>
<p>Rosalind arched an eyebrow and sat down behind her desk. "Impressive."</p>
<p>"My sister was an impressive teacher." </p>
<p>"Was?"</p>
<p>Cassandra glanced away purposely. "She died."</p>
<p>"I'm sorry to hear that." Faux sincerity dripped from Rosalind's tone. "Since you're proficient in multiple elements, I have an assignment for you." She waited a moment until Cassandra looked back at her. "I want you to teach a select group of students how to access their secondary element."</p>
<p>"Isn't that something usually taught in the second year?" Cassandra questioned, immediately regretting it when Rosalind's expression noticeably cooled. "Forgive me, but my understanding was the first years were still coming to terms with one element."</p>
<p>"For most of them," Rosalind answered with a careless shrug. "They'll catch up. There are six fairies who show great potential. One being Princess Stella, a second year, who has been allowed to fall behind in her studies because of the former Headmistress's somewhat soft approach. I believe you may be familiar with one of the others, Aisha? You tested her yesterday."</p>
<p>"Yes, I remember. She was impressive." Cassandra fought to keep her expression neutral. "And the others?"</p>
<p>"Beatrix, who you met last night. She's talented, strong, but easily bored. The others are Bloom, Terra, and Musa. They all rated highly in their tests."</p>
<p>And almost all of them were loyal to her sister, Cassandra thought. "I've heard of Bloom," she said instead. "You mentioned her in the faculty meeting."</p>
<p>"Yes." Rosalind smiled again. "I fully intend on mentoring her, as I intend on mentoring Beatrix. However, as Headmistress, I have other responsibilities and demands on my time. They need to be taught the basics. Can I rely on you to do that?"</p>
<p>"Of course. Anything I can do to help, Headmistress." Cassandra returned Rosalind's smile with one of her own. "May I be excused so I can prepare?"</p>
<p>"You may. Ms Selda?" Rosalind called as she was almost to the door. "Be sure not to let me down. If this is beyond your capabilities..."</p>
<p>"It isn't, Headmistress," Cassandra assured her, feeling unfamiliar magic assert some pressure on her mind for a fleeting moment. "I won't let you down."</p>
<p>#</p>
<p>"I can do this, Farah. I can teach the basics, but I can't do this." Having joined herself at the ruins, Cassandra paced around the remains of the fire that had burned until early morning, wringing her hands in front of her. "It felt like a threat, a test. If I fail..."</p>
<p>"It is a test, Cassandra, and one you have to be seen to pass or you'll be seen as an easy target." Easing herself up to her feet, Farah stretched. Though her magic was coming back to her, she still felt achy, as though she'd been running Rosalind's drills all night. "Don't worry."</p>
<p>"Don't worry?" Cassandra repeated. "I'm expected at the stone circle in two hours, Farah. I wouldn't be surprised if Rosalind herself doesn't turn up to observe, or if she can't, someone else does to spy for her."</p>
<p>"And if they do, they'll see a capable teacher taking her students through the basics," Farah said soothingly. "Rosalind will be expecting you to fail, and she's going to be pleasantly surprised when you don't."</p>
<p>"I will fail, Fa, and I'll put the girls at risk when I do," Cassandra panicked.</p>
<p>Farah smiled, grim but determined. "It'll be okay. Trust me, and listen carefully."</p>
<p>As she laid out her plan, Farah saw Cassandra's worries ease then build back up again. There were risks with it, a greater danger of exposure than either sister was happy with, but in the end, it was the only option available to them.</p>
<p>The only way they could keep the younger generation safe.</p>
<p>#</p>
<p>The wind was bitter at the stone circle but Saul didn't feel it. He didn't feel anything anymore, just a numb sickness that was spreading through his body with every passing day. </p>
<p>The woman who took her place at the centre of the circle looked familiar but his befuddled mind couldn't place her. There was something about the way she looked at him, something about the way her magic felt.</p>
<p>If he'd been in his own mind, in control of his own actions, Saul might have questioned it – questioned her. But, with Rosalind's magic still raging within him, and Andreas standing on the other side of the circle keeping watch, the opportunity hadn't yet arisen.</p>
<p>"Why are we learning secondary magic?" Aisha asked, sitting next to her suitemates a few seats away from Beatrix. "Ms Dowling said we would learn that in the second year."</p>
<p>"Headmistress Rosalind has decided you're ready for it now," the teacher, Ms Selda, told her calmly. There was something about that tone, something about her reassuring smile... "Don't worry, Aisha. I'll take you through it. We'll start by identifying the elements you're going to work on."</p>
<p>As she spoke, Saul found himself listening to her voice, letting it wash over him. As he listened, he slowly became aware of something happening inside him.</p>
<p>One spell unravelling, and a dormant bond beginning to wake...</p>
<p>#</p>
<p>Her heart leapt in her chest when she saw him there but Farah's step didn't falter. The glamour she wore remained calm, her smile reassuring as she looked at the students gathered around the stone circle waiting for her – waiting for Cassandra.</p>
<p>"Certain elements lend themselves to one another. Others are opposites. Your opposite element will be the last you learn to control." She walked as she spoke, trying to work off the tension she felt at being so close to Saul and having the ghost of Andreas there in person, watching her. "Sometimes the opposite seems obvious, sometimes it isn't. For water, it's fire and vice-versa. The opposite of earth is air, the opposite of light is mind. For today's lesson, you'll be connecting with your closest element. For you, Aisha, that will be earth. Please, join me."</p>
<p>Aisha rose to her feet, uncertain but curious. She stood beside Farah, hands at her sides. "Earth is connected to water?"</p>
<p>"Place your hands on the Vessel," Farah instructed gently. "Now close your eyes and reach out. Can you feel any water nearby? It's all around us, in the earth, in all living things. You can feel it in the plant life around us, in the ground. Earth and water need one another, they sustain and support each other. Reach past the water, feel the element that surrounds it. Connect to it."</p>
<p>It didn't come as easily to her as water, but Aisha could feel something on the edges of her magic. Something living, something responsive. She focused harder, trying to coax it to show itself.</p>
<p>"That's it, Aisha," Farah encouraged softly. "Encourage it. Nurture it. Help it grow."</p>
<p>Aisha opened her eyes. A single seed had cracked open, revealing the smallest tendril of green at the base of the Vessel.</p>
<p>"Excellent work, Aisha," Farah praised. </p>
<p>Warmed by the praise, Aisha retook her seat, satisfied but tired by her progress. She watched as Terra was summoned to the centre and took her place beside their teacher.</p>
<p>"As water is the earth, earth is to water," Farah explained softly. "You are already proficient at sensing living things, Terra. What you need to do now is isolate what's living from what gives life." The Vessel filled with fresh soil as Terra put her hands on the bowl. "Try to separate the water particles from the earth. Use your magic to gather them together and raise them above the soil."</p>
<p>It took multiple attempts, but Terra was soon able to separate some water particles and join them together into a single drop of water. Pride at her accomplishment and exhaustion from the effort it took shone on her face as the single drop rose above the Vessel and her teacher smiled.</p>
<p>"Well done," Farah told her, her own pride on display at her goddaughter's achievement. "Now you can lower it back, and let it be reabsorbed by the earth that needs it."</p>
<p>Stella was up next. "Are you sure air is the next element for me?" She questioned, feeling nervous about having to try to accomplish another element when her own was so strong and felt overwhelming at times. "My mother has very little use for anything other than light."</p>
<p>"She may have little use for the other elements, but I can assure you she is proficient in air magic if and when it was needed," Farah told her quietly. "The easiest way to connect the two is to focus on what they have in common. Light and air are both capable of harnessing the natural electricity in the atmosphere. When you use your light, you are manipulating that electricity to form illusions and create shadow. Think of this as the next, natural step," Farah continued, taking her place behind Stella both to offer assurance and to protect the others should something go wrong. "Focus on your light. Summon it."</p>
<p>Stella did as she was told, a ball of light appearing to float in the air in front of her with little to no effort. She felt her heart speed up, panic at having to demonstrate her magic in front of others threatening to overwhelm her. What if something went wrong? What if someone got hurt? </p>
<p>"Breathe, Stella. It's fine, I'm here." It was Ms Dowling's voice, low and reassuring, but came from the woman behind her. Stella glanced over her shoulders and, for a split second, saw through the glamour spell to see her former Headmistress and mentor beneath it. Farah gave her a soft smile. "I won't let any harm happen to you or the others," she assured her quietly. "Trust me?"</p>
<p>Exhaling a shaky breath, Stella nodded. "Yes, Miss."</p>
<p>"Good." Farah smiled in approval and reached out with her own magic, a shield no one could see settling around herself and Stella. "Concentrate on your light. Feel the particles that make it glow. Separate them. Find the flickering source at the heart of the light, the electricity of the air glowing like a flame. Find it, and strip it back. Let everything else go."</p>
<p>It took some time but Stella managed. The ball of light reduced to a single blue crackle, lightening in its simplest, smallest form. She marvelled at how small but powerful it was, and how similar but different it was to her usual element.</p>
<p>"Perfect," Farah murmured from behind her. "We'll stop there for now, but that was excellent, Stella. Wonderful control."</p>
<p>Beaming, tired, Stella moved back to join her suitemates as Beatrix stood without being summoned and walked to the Vessel. "Is it my turn now, Miss?"</p>
<p>"If you'd like, Beatrix." Farah gave her an encouraging smile, doing her best to keep from letting any other emotions show. She felt a spark of something in the teenager's mind, something similar to what she sensed in Saul, and fought to keep from frowning. </p>
<p>She sensed more than saw Andreas shift, obviously more interested in Beatrix's part of the lesson than he was any of the others. Farah reached out further with her magic and identified the bond between the two of them; Rosalind had told her that Andreas had raised Beatrix but Farah wondered if her former mentor was aware that there was a genuine, true affection between them.</p>
<p>"Light magic can be dangerous," Farah began to caution. "It can go from beautiful to deadly in an instant. It is highly responsive to emotion, and therefore it's best to keep a calm, cool mind when attempting to control it."</p>
<p>"I know, Miss. All magic is linked to our emotions. The stronger the feeling, the stronger the magic," Beatrix intoned, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "I'm ready."</p>
<p>Listening to her instincts, which were telling her to be careful, Farah raised the clear shield again, separating herself and Beatrix from the rest of the group. "Where there is light, there is darkness. It can be overwhelming to feel both compete for your attention and it can be easy to lose control." Using her magic, Farah caused it to grow darker within the circle. She ignored the gasps of the fairies behind her and kept her attention on Beatrix. "Create a single light, Beatrix. Use your connection with the air to sense the electricity in it, combine the particles to generate light and only light. You want electricity without the static energy, without the heat."</p>
<p>"I can do that," Beatrix said confidently. Her eyes glowed and blue air electricity crackled around her hands and arms. "A ball of light. Easy."</p>
<p>She created the light easily, effortlessly. Too easily. Farah sensed familiar magic mingled with Beatrix's own and frowned, wondering how the girl could possess both fairy and witch magic at the same time. Even as she wondered about it, she noticed the ball of light growing bigger, brighter. "Temper it down, Beatrix. You control it; it doesn't control you."</p>
<p>"I..." Beatrix's confidence began to fade as the first strains of panic took its place. "It's strong. It's too strong!"</p>
<p>"Close your eyes!" Farah ordered, and all those within the circle and standing watch over it did so without hesitation.</p>
<p>Even with their eyes closed, they were aware of the blinding brightness, surging around the circle from its heart. Blinking to clear their vision, the fairies from the Winx suite were on their feet as soon as they could, moving towards their teacher and the unconscious air fairy in her arms.</p>
<p>Andreas reached them first, snarling when he encountered the shield Farah had erected around them. He hit on it with his fist. "Let me through."</p>
<p>"In a moment," Farah snapped impatiently, gritting her teeth as she used her magic on Beatrix, healing the injuries the girl had sustained from the inside out.</p>
<p>The build-up had been too quick, too powerful. The surge of magic combined with Beatrix's panic had rendered the teenager unconscious, and Farah could sense the confusion and uncertainty in Beatrix's mind.</p>
<p>Rosalind's influence was gone, she realised with a start. The spell she'd felt wrapped around Beatrix's mind had been shattered, and Farah wasn't sure that was a good thing.</p>
<p><i>'Beatrix?</i> She questioned, probing the teenager's mind gently. <i>'Can you hear me?'</i></p>
<p><i>'Miss... Miss Dowling?'</i>Beatrix's response was sluggish as the girl moaned out loud and tried to reach a hand up to her head. <i>'My head hurts.'</i></p>
<p><i>'I know, little one,'</i> Farah sent back soothingly, responding to the childlike tone of Beatrix's voice in her head. <i>'You need to sleep for a while,'</i> she sent softly. <i>'I'm going to help you sleep, so your body can heal and your magic can rebound without hurting you. Is that okay?'</i></p>
<p>Beatrix whimpered, both in her mind and aloud. "Just make it stop," she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Just make it stop hurting."</p>
<p>"I will," Farah promised. She looked up at Andreas and lowered the shield as she soothed Beatrix with her magic, assisting the air fairy to slip into a deep, healing sleep. Andreas dropped beside her immediately, reaching to feel for a pulse as Beatrix lost consciousness. "I've put her into a magically induced coma," Farah informed him quietly, a tug of sympathy for the man she'd thought she hated at the genuine worry rolling off him in waves. "She'll need to rest for a few days but she will be fine."</p>
<p>Andreas nodded but didn't look convinced. He bundled Beatrix into his arms and stood with her carefully. Glancing at Saul, who remained standing on the edge of the circle, he barked out an order. "Stay with them. Watch them finish the lesson, then report back."</p>
<p>"I don't think –" Farah started to protest, glancing at the Winx girls to see they were clustered together, all looking shaken.</p>
<p>"Rosalind wants them all to access their secondary element," Andreas reminded her harshly. "There's still two to go, unless you don't think you're up to it?"</p>
<p>Clenching her fists, Farah gave him a sickeningly sweet smile. "As you wish. When you get back to the school, ask Professor Harvey to make a salve for her burns. She'll heal without it but the salve will speed up the process."</p>
<p>Andreas gave her a small nod to show he'd heard and set off at a brisk pace back towards the school. Farah remained sitting on the ground, needing a moment to get her own mixed emotions not to mention her magic back under control. When a hand appeared in her peripheral vision, she jumped and looked up.</p>
<p>Expecting it to be one of the girls, she was unprepared when Saul crouched down beside her, the blue magic artificially colouring his eyes replaced by their usual stormy grey.</p>
<p>Searching his face, seeing recognition in his eyes and his lips quirked up in a familiar half-twist of a smile, Farah couldn't quite keep back a sob as she threw herself into his ready and waiting arms.</p>
<p>#</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Blaming it on his imagination at first, he didn't realise why the image of the teacher in the stone circle kept flickering until he felt the bond he shared with Farah finally reassert itself, beating the last of the foreign magic fighting it. He saw her as Cassandra, but then the image flickered and Farah was stood there in her sister's place.</p><p>He heard her voice, calm and soothing, as she instructed the students, and he saw her take her place beside Beatrix as the over-confident air fairy strode to the Vessel.</p><p>Words couldn't describe the fear he felt when he realised the spell was rapidly growing out of control; there was no way he'd found her only to lose her again, only to watch her die before his very eyes.</p><p>He was fortunate that Andreas was distracted with Beatrix, lucky that his former friend hadn't noticed the spell keeping him under control had been broken. All he'd been able to focus on was Farah, how she bowed her head and remained sitting on the ground. He felt her exhaustion through their bond, felt her relief mingled with confusion and something he couldn't quite place.</p><p>Bloom took a step towards her first but was kept back by a hand on her arm. Saul noticed, giving Musa a small nod of acknowledgement as he reached his mind fairy and held out his hand. When she didn't immediately move to take it, he crouched down beside her, waiting patiently for her to look at him.</p><p>When she did, he saw the realisation dawn on her. He felt a surge of something strong and powerful, something that took his breath away just moments before she threw herself into his arms.</p><p>Love.</p><p>"It's okay," he murmured, closing his eyes against the sting he could feel in them. He let his cheek rest against the top of her hair and let himself revel in the feel of her in his arms as the magic that connected them wound around them in a familiar embrace. "I'm here now, love. I'm here."</p><p>He couldn't say how long he sat on the ground holding her, just that time seemed to finally return to its normal pace instead of the agonisingly slow rate it had been passing at while he'd been under Rosalind's spell. The student fairies, to their credit, gave them as much distance as the stone circle would allow. Saul could hear them whispering, could hear Musa and Stella tell the others that though she looked like Ms Selda, the woman he held was Ms Dowling. They sat off to the side, bundled together, and Saul appreciated the attempt at giving them some privacy. </p><p>Remembering where they were and who was around them, Farah pulled away and he immediately felt the loss of her. She searched his face, her eyes shimmering as she seemed to study him, committing him to memory.</p><p>"What happened?" He asked her quietly, lifting his hand to gently wipe away the single tear that slipped from her eye. "Rosalind said..." He swallowed hard, the memory of her loss still painfully fresh. "She said she'd killed you."</p><p>"She did, or came to close to it at least." Farah's smile, meant to be reassuring, was strained. "I'll explain what I can but we don't have a lot of time. Despite Andreas being right about Rosalind wanting the lesson to go ahead, I wouldn't be surprised if she comes to check on things herself. Help me up?"</p><p>He rose to his feet, drawing her up with him. When he refused to let go of her hand, Farah quirked an eyebrow but said nothing.</p><p>"Girls," she called, turning away slightly to look at the fairies doing their best not to intrude. "Do you feel able to continue?"</p><p>"Do you?" Saul asked her quietly as the teenagers nodded gamely. </p><p>"I'll be fine," she murmured, forcing another smile as the Winx girls got closer. </p><p>Terra bit her lip, her dark eyes worried. "Will Beatrix be alright?"</p><p>"She needs to rest for a little while," Farah assured her, "but she will make a complete recovery."</p><p>"Thanks to you," Saul muttered, squeezing her hand as he thought once again about how close it'd been. </p><p>"Ah, Miss?" Bloom asked cautiously. She shot a look at Musa and Stella. "Are you... I mean.. Ms Dowling?"</p><p>Farah let the glamour spell drop and found herself with an armful of Bloom as the fire fairy closed the gap between them. Saul made a bad attempt at smothering a grin as he reluctantly let go of her hand, letting her embrace the teenager fully. </p><p>"I told you," Stella said, rolling her eyes.</p><p>Bloom didn't reply but took a step back from the former Headmistress, looking a little embarrassed. Given the beams on the looks of the other girls, and the way they all seemed to shuffle closer to Farah, Saul didn't think she had anything to be embarrassed about.</p><p>"Not that I'm complaining, but should you be here?" Musa asked quietly, concern shining in her eyes for Farah. "If Headmistress Rosalind finds out..."</p><p>"We'll have to make sure she doesn't. Cassandra wasn't sure she'd be able to teach you what you need to know, and I had a feeling she was being set up to fail," Farah explained. "I'll have to recast the glamour spell, just in case someone happens by." She did it as she spoke, taking on the form of her sister before their very eyes. For Saul, she appeared as Cassandra for only a moment before the bond overrode the magic and he could see her for who she really was.</p><p>"Who is Miss Selda?" Aisha spoke up, unsettled at the transformation. "I met her yesterday – unless that was you?"</p><p>"No, that was Cassandra. She's my sister." Farah bit her lip, weighing up how much she should say. Saul felt her indecision and instinctively took half a step closer to her, backing her up without realising he was doing it. "It's a complicated story. Not many people know about her, or our other sister. Saul, Ben and Luna are the only ones who'd recognise them on sight."</p><p>"Unless we're under a mind control spell," Saul piped up, running a hand through his head. "I wondered why the new teacher looked at me strangely."</p><p>"She could sense the spell," Farah assured him. "She'll be relieved it's broken."</p><p>"That makes two of us," Saul agreed with a shudder.</p><p>Farah gave him an indulgent smile and motioned to the Vessel. "Bloom, Musa? Which of you would like to go first?"</p><p>Given what they'd witnessed moments before with Beatrix, it came as no surprise that Musa and Bloom were apprehensive. </p><p>"What if I set fire to something accidentally?" Bloom panicked, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.</p><p>"What if I do?" Musa threw back, having worked out which element she would be learning to use. "I can't control fire!"</p><p>"In order to control it, you have to first learn to create it," Farah pointed out with an amused smile. "Step up to the Vessel and we'll see what we can do about that."</p><p>Musa did as she was told with clear reluctance, and took her place next to Farah. "I don't understand how mind magic lends itself to fire magic. They seem like complete opposites."</p><p>"They're both deeply rooted in emotion. Think of fire as a manifestation of your mind. It can represent fear, anger, comfort, love." Farah automatically put up another shield to protect her students. "Focus on comfort, on warmth. How does that make you feel? Picture it in your mind. It could be a fire crackling in a fireplace, a campfire with the smell of smoke lingering on the wind. A single candle, its flame alone banishing the gloom and loneliness. Imagine it. Can you feel its heat? A single flame can make such a big difference. It can cast shadows so much bigger than it, keep the darkness at bay. Visualise it and, when you're ready, try to make that feeling, that image, a reality. Use your magic to summon the flame."</p><p>"What if I do and I can't control it?" Musa panicked even as the twig in the Vessel began to smoke and smoulder. "What if it gets out of hand?"</p><p>"It won't," Farah said soothingly. "I'm here, and so are the others. Trust in your own abilities, Musa, as we all trust in them. You can do this."</p><p>A single flame burst into existence as Musa gasped aloud. It flickered for a moment, dancing uncertainly in the breeze, but steadied itself to stand tall and proud. "Oh, my. Did I do that?"</p><p>"You did, and very well, I might add." Farah smiled at the wonder on the young mind fairy's face. "Now you can put it out. You can either try using your magic or you can blow it out if you don't feel up to it."</p><p>Musa seemed to consider it for a moment, then blew out the flame with a sheepish grin. "Best not risk it."</p><p>"Perhaps wise," Farah said with a smile. "Take a seat and catch your breath. It can be overwhelming the first time your magic manifests in a physical form. Now, Bloom, you're up."</p><p>Bloom and Musa passed as one moved towards the Vessel and the other moved away. Bloom looked wary as Farah waved her hand over the ornate bowl, the burned twig vanishing as a large, clear crystal took its place.</p><p>"Pretty," Bloom commented wryly. "But what am I supposed to do with it?"</p><p>"Nothing," Farah said and smiled when Bloom looked more and more confused. "It's here to help you. It's a tool. You're going to use it to meditate."</p><p>"Meditate?" Bloom wrinkled her nose. "That's what you want me to do?"</p><p>Farah inclined her head. "It's the first step in accessing your mind magic. With fire, it's all about pushing your magic to show itself externally, outside of the body. With the mind, it's the opposite. Look at the crystal. Look into it. There's a flaw at its heart, and I want you to find it."</p><p>Bloom looked sceptical but did as she was told. She stared into the glass-like crystal, trying to look past its shiny curves and edges. It didn't look flawed, she thought, but she focused harder, trying to see beyond the surface to the layers beneath. "Oh, I see it, I think," she said quietly, fixating on the tiny chip in the middle of the precious stone. How did it get there, she wondered? How could something so beautiful not be perfect?</p><p>"Keep the flaw in your sights, Bloom, but reach out with your magic. Focus on my voice, on me. Try to reach my mind with yours." Farah's voice was no louder than a whisper. "Try to tell me something mind to mind, without speaking it aloud."</p><p>Bloom concentrated, her brow furrowed. <i>'But what do I say?'</i>she wondered, and her bewilderment only grew as Farah laughed softly beside her. <i>'What? What's so funny?'</i></p><p>
  <i>'You're doing it, Bloom. You're sending me your thoughts.'</i>
</p><p>
  <i>'I'm not.'</i>
</p><p>
  <i>'You are.'</i>
</p><p>
  <i>'Really?'</i>
</p><p>
  <i>'Really.'</i>
</p><p>
  <i>'Cool!' </i>
</p><p>"I recognise that look," Saul murmured, breaking the silence that fell over the circle. "One tip, Bloom. If you're going to hold a private conversation with someone, you need to try not to let it show on your face."</p><p>"That takes practice, too," Farah assured the young fairy, "as Saul knows only too well," she added as the Specialist in question looked sheepish. "But you've made a fantastic start, all of you. You still need to put in the hours on your primary elements but you've made a good start in beginning to feel and recognise your secondary magic."</p><p>"How many elements can you control, Miss?" Aisha asked curiously as Farah dropped the shield and the students who'd been watching joined their suitemate and former Headmistress at the centre of the circle. "How long did it take you to master them?"</p><p>"That depends on which one of us you're asking," the real Cassandra said, walking briskly into the circle. "Rosalind's on her way here, Fa. You have to go."</p><p>Farah nodded, her heart beginning to race at the thought of being so close to Rosalind and being so unprepared. She felt tired from the lesson, from using her magic to help Beatrix and from resurrecting her bond with Saul. "Thank you, Cassie. The girls can fill you in on what you missed –"</p><p>"Wait." It wasn't so much Saul's voice that stopped her as it was the underlying note of panic in it. She wasn't sure if it was his feeling or if it was hers he was feeling. "Where are you going? It is safe?"</p><p>"Hey, you're you again," Cassandra realised with an astonished look. "How...? Never mind, I think I know the answer to that. But if you're you again, Rosalind's going to realise it and try to find out what happened, not to mention trying to do whatever she did to you in the first place again."</p><p>"It was witch magic," Farah explained, a frown marring her brow. "I sensed it in Beatrix, too. She's going to need your support, girls. When she wakes up, she's going to be free of Rosalind's influence and no doubt very much confused."</p><p>"But Rosalind doesn't have witch magic," Cassandra pointed out. "She's not like –"</p><p>Farah interrupted her with a pointed look the girls from the Winx suite didn't understand. "I think it must have been a potion of some kind, probably in something you've been given to eat or drink."</p><p>"She used her magic, too," Saul recalled. "If she does it again, if she looks into my mind..." His worry, Farah knew, was meant for her. "If she finds out you're alive, she'll stop at nothing until she finds you, Farah."</p><p>"Saul..."</p><p>"I'm coming with you," he interrupted, his voice determined. "We're stronger together, you know that."</p><p>"And how does Cassie explain where you are?" Farah argued. "You think Rosalind will just let you disappear?"</p><p>"We can come up with a cover story," Musa was quick to suggest. She shrugged when her suitemates looked at her, but given she could sense the Specialists desperation and they couldn't, she felt justified in siding with the former Headmaster. </p><p>It only took Bloom a moment to jump onboard with the idea, deciding she'd prefer to think of the former teachers together rather than Farah being on her own. "We could say I sensed a Burned One in the woods, and Mr Silva went to check it out."</p><p>"She'll send the Specialists after him," Farah pointed out quietly, not ready to be persuaded. "And if she doubts your stories, she'll search your minds. It won't be pleasant; Rosalind has a way of making painless things painful."</p><p>"What if they find a body, or think they find one?" Stella suggested thoughtfully. "She'd have no reason to search our minds, and an illusion would be enough."</p><p>Cassandra's expression turned speculative. "It's a good idea, Farah. You know I hate the thought of you being in those old ruins on your own."</p><p>"Old ruins?" Saul repeated, an eyebrow arched. "That's where you've been staying? The graveyard?"</p><p>"It's where she killed me," Farah said simply. "And it's close enough to the school to keep an eye on what's going on."</p><p>Her Specialist just stared at her for a moment, wordless, then shook his head. "We'll be staying at the old Sheppard's place if anyone wants to find us. It's inside the barrier but outside of the school boundary. Rosalind won't sense you there," he added when Farah started to protest, "and if you're worried about it, you can put an extra ward on the cottage."</p><p>"How do we find you?" Bloom asked, a frown on her face. "I don't know the way there, do you guys?"</p><p>"I do," Terra confirmed. "You enter the barrier on the other side of the cemetery. I'll show you, Bloom. When it's safe," she continued, seeing the look on Farah's face. "And I'll tell my Dad that's where you'll be, too."</p><p>"But no unnecessary visits," Saul cautioned, "too many and Rosalind or Andrea will figure out something's going on."</p><p>Farah sighed and shook her head. "I'm not going to get a say in this, am I?"</p><p>"You get to say yes," Saul told her with a grin, feeling lighter than he had in a long time. "Let's get going. We'll sort the illusion on the way to get your things from the graveyard."</p><p>"<i>We'll</i> sort the illusion?" Farah returned, rolling her eyes at him. "Nice to know you'll be helping, Saul." She ignored his shrug and hugged her sister instead. Once Cassandra stepped away, the Winx girls lingered until Farah opened her arms to hug them all, too. "Be careful, all of you. Do just enough to keep on Rosalind's good side. Remember it's not forever, we'll all get through this."</p><p>"Mr Silva?" Bloom said quietly as the group began to go their own ways. "Do you want me to say anything to Sky? If he thinks you're dead..."</p><p>"Tell him..." Saul hesitated, and Farah slipped her hand into his discreetly. "Just tell him everything's going to be okay."</p><p>Bloom gave him a small smile. "I will."</p><p>Still hand in hand, the former Heads of Alfea left the stone circle in one direction while the students and Cassandra walked in the other. The bigger group were walking through the trees towards the school when Rosalind happened upon them. </p><p>The Headmistress stared at them; her expression unreadable. Her blue eyes narrowed when she realised they were missing one of them number. "Is Mr Silva not with you, Miss Selda?"</p><p>"No, Headmistress," Cassandra answered, though it was obvious he wasn't. "Bloom sensed a Burned One outside of the barrier. Mr Silva went to look into it, while I thought it prudent to get the students back to the school."</p><p>"A Burned One?" Rosalind's eyes gleamed. "And you didn't go with him, Bloom?"</p><p>"No, Miss." Bloom shrank back at the clear disappointment, her suitemates supporting her. "Mr Silva told me to stay with Miss Selda."</p><p>"And you listened to him." Rosalind's tone was disapproving. "No matter now. I'll take care of it. Princess," she continued, her cold eyes fixing on Stella. "You may want to get yourself presentable. Our gracious Queen called to say she's coming for an unexpected visit."</p><p>"My mother's coming here?" It was Stella's turn to flinch, though she noticed the slight smirk on Cassandra's face before it was quickly hidden away. "Why?"</p><p>"Your guess is as good as mine. Luckily, we just have to wait an hour before we find out." Rosalind's expression showed her annoyance. "Get back to the school. We'll find Silva."</p><p>Hoping she wouldn't, the fairies and their teacher hurried to do what they were told.</p><p>#</p>
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